Typhoon Jangmi Hits Wakayama, Japan; Level 5 Flood Alert Issued

Typhoon Jangmi has reportedly made landfall in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, on Wednesday (3/6) morning local time. As the sixth storm of this season, it is bringing heavy rainfall across the Pacific coast of southwestern and western Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) immediately issued a Level 5 flood danger warning—the highest level—for the Koza River located at the southern tip of the prefecture. Authorities have urged residents living near the riverbanks to increase their level of vigilance.

“Residents in the surrounding areas are requested to take precautionary measures and maintain maximum alertness as river levels have begun to overflow beyond the embankments,” the official statement from the JMA read.

Prior to landfall, the JMA detected the formation of a linear rainband phenomenon in southern Wakayama Prefecture, a strong indicator of extremely heavy rainfall in the region. Shortly before making landfall at approximately 04:30 am, the centre of Typhoon Jangmi was tracked near the coastal city of Tanabe. The storm is moving east-northeast at a speed of 40 kilometres per hour, bringing wind gusts of up to 126 kilometres per hour.

The JMA predicts the typhoon will continue to move eastward along the Pacific coast of Japan. The public is advised to remain alert to the potential for prolonged heavy rain and the risk of subsequent hydrometeorological disasters, such as landslides.

Before reaching Wakayama, Typhoon Jangmi swept through Kyushu and Shikoku. In those regions, local governments had issued Level 4 flood warnings for areas near rivers in Miyazaki and Tokushima Prefectures, instructing all residents in danger zones to evacuate immediately.