The national weather service said Meari made landfall in Shizuoka prefecture southwest of Tokyo on Saturday afternoon, bringing sudden heavy rain and winds to a wide area and prompting warnings of mudslides and flooding. More than 72,000 people in the region’s main city of Shizuoka were told to evacuate because of possible landslides. Meari, packing sustained winds of up to 45 mph, passed over Shizuoka and was traveling at about 12 mph. The storm is expected to continue northward before turning eastward, hovering over the Pacific Ocean until early Sunday. The Tokyo area was hit by intermittent rain that started late in the morning. Coastal high wave warnings were issued for Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture southwest of Tokyo and other nearby areas. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Authorities warned not to go near rivers and other bodies of water as levels could rise suddenly. Rainfall is expected to worsen in Tokyo and areas north of the city in the evening, they said. Warnings for flooding, strong winds and heavy rain were issued for the Tokyo area. Japanese media reports showed videos of rivers rising dangerously high, almost reaching bridge decks, as rain lashed houses and people ran through the streets, clinging to their umbrellas. Japan is in the middle of the summer Bon holiday and people are traveling in droves, although some have had to cancel or change their plans. The Rock in Japan festival, which started a week ago in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, canceled the final day of the event on Saturday and promised a refund. Nippon Airways canceled some local flights in response to the storm. Low-cost airline Skymark Airlines also canceled some flights. Bullet train services were delayed and speed limits in the tunnels in Shizuoka were temporarily reduced as a precaution. Parts of the Tomei Expressway, which connects Tokyo to Nagoya, were temporarily blocked due to heavy rain. Northern Japan has had some heavy rains recently and concerns are growing about landslides. The rain is expected to ease by early Sunday in the Tokyo area before hitting northeastern Japan.
