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Japan's flooding from space

Ben Domensino, Monday October 14, 2019 - 10:06 AEDT

Satellite images have revealed the scale of flooding in Japan as the clouds clear behind Typhoon Hagibis.

Parts of Japan were inundated by heavy rain when Typhoon Hagibis barrelled across the country on the weekend. Some areas received close to one metre of rain in just 24 hours as widespread heavy falls caused extensive flooding and landslides.

Images captured by NASA's Aqua and Terra polar orbiting satellites on Sunday showed how the rain from Typhoon Hagibis had transformed the landscape. Swollen rivers could be seen emptying plumes of muddy water into the ocean along the southern and eastern coasts of Japan.

Image: Satellite images captured by NASA's Terra satellite on October 5th (top) and Aqua satellite on October 13th (bottom), showing the landscape before and after Typhoon Hagibis. Source: NASA Worldview

Image: Satellite images captured near Nagoya by NASA's Terra satellite on October 5th (top) and Aqua satellite on October 13th (bottom), showing the landscape before and after Typhoon Hagibis. Source: NASA Worldview

Image: Satellite images captured near Sendai by NASA's Aqua satellite on October 10th (top) and Aqua satellite on October 13th (bottom), showing the landscape before and after Typhoon Hagibis. Source: NASA Worldview

The remnants of Typhoon Hagibis are now drifting across the northwest Pacific Ocean, away from Japan. However, rain and flooding were still affecting some parts of the country on Monday.

Warnings for heavy rain, flooding and landslides were still in place for nine prefectures on Monday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency's website.

Looking ahead, another area of low pressure may cause more rain across Japan during the second half of this week. Fortunately, this system won't be as strong as Typhoon Hagibis.

- Weatherzone

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