Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
The projection is based on more than 2 million reports from participants in the company's 'Sakura Project,' alongside temperature data, meteorological models and research at major viewing sites.
This year's cherry blossom season is expected to align with or slightly precede historical averages in western and eastern Japan. While last year's blooms were delayed in the south of the Kanto region, this most recent forecast suggests a return to normal timing.
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Japan Times
06-07-2025
- Japan Times
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
The mercury is expected to hit dangerously high levels in Japan on Sunday, with weather authorities issuing heatstroke alerts in 19 prefectures nationwide, including this year's first for central Tokyo and Kanagawa. With climate change driving up temperatures across the globe, Japan will experience a heat wave between Sunday and July 14 on a 'level only seen once in a decade,' the Meteorological Agency said last week. The highest temperatures are expected to reach the mid to high 30s in wide areas of the country, including 37 degrees Celsius in Nagoya, 36 C in Fukuoka, Osaka and Kochi and 35 C in Hiroshima and Tokyo, according to Weathernews. The Japan Association of Athletics Federations, which is holding its three-day national championship in Kunitachi, western Tokyo, shifted schedules for events on Sunday after doing the same on Friday and Saturday. It has delayed some events scheduled during the day to the evening hours. The Japan Sport Association advises all sports events to be canceled when the heat index — which takes temperatures, humidity and solar radiation into consideration — reaches 31. Tokyo is forecast to see its heat index rise to 32 at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The summer heat has arrived ahead of schedule this year due to an early end of the rainy season in many parts of the country, particularly in western Japan. In the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kinki regions, as well as northern Kyushu, the rainy season was declared over in late June, which was nearly 20 days earlier than usual and the earliest on record, according to agency data. Global warming has pushed up atmospheric air temperatures across the globe, the agency says, noting that the Pacific high-pressure system extending more strongly toward Japan and prevailing westerly winds meandering further north have contributed to the early end of the rainy season, which normally lasts through mid-July. Japan experienced its hottest June ever, with the average monthly temperature being 2.34 C higher than the standard value, according to the agency.
Japan Times
29-01-2025
- Japan Times
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
Tokyo's cherry blossoms are set to begin blooming on March 21, according to a forecast released Wednesday by private weather company Weathernews. The projection is based on more than 2 million reports from participants in the company's 'Sakura Project,' alongside temperature data, meteorological models and research at major viewing sites. This year's cherry blossom season is expected to align with or slightly precede historical averages in western and eastern Japan. While last year's blooms were delayed in the south of the Kanto region, this most recent forecast suggests a return to normal timing.
Japan Times
03-10-2024
- Japan Times
How climate change affects Japan's typhoons
It may feel like Japan's typhoon season this year has been relentless, but the reality tells a different story. The number of these violent storms is actually dropping, as climate change alters global weather patterns. Yet, experts are divided on what this means for the future. While the Japan Meteorological Agency has recorded 18 tropical storms so far this season, Weathernews, a private weather forecasting company, has predicted this total to hit 21 by the end of the year. In 2023, the agency tracked 17 tropical storms, a significant drop from the average of 25.1 per year. Japan's system for classifying typhoons differs from that used for hurricanes, and there are also differences in how the storms are discussed in Japanese versus English. In Japanese, storms are called typhoons as long as they are at least tropical storm strength, but the Japan Meteorological Agency makes a distinction between a tropical storm level system and a typhoon when distributing information in English. While some parts of the world, such as the North Atlantic, have seen an increase in tropical cyclones, a 2022 study by the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the annual number of such storms has decreased globally by 13% over the past century. 'Our research, which uses climate models, suggests that these changes aren't just due to natural variability over time,' said Hiroyuki Murakami, a research scientist at NOAA and co-author of the study. 'Human-caused climate change is playing a key role in shaping these new patterns.' A modeling study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) demonstrated a 14% decline in cyclones globally if average temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Murakami also noted that a global decrease in tropical cyclones would not be uniform. 'For instance, some studies project an increase in the number of storms in certain areas, like the Central Pacific,' he said. Alexander Baker, a research scientist at the U.K.'s National Center for Atmospheric Science, said that there would be 'significant regional differences' in the fluctuation of storm numbers, as 'the latitude at which tropical cyclones form and reach their peak strength has shifted northward,' with an increase in storms spotted in the North Atlantic over the last 30-40 years. However, Yoshie Nakamura, a spokesperson for Weathernews, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about Japan's lower count. 'The low number of typhoons this year might be due to a weaker-than-usual monsoon trough in September and October ... which leads to weaker convective activity,' she said. While fewer cyclones might seem like good news for Japan, experts agree that the storms that do form are becoming more severe, bringing stronger winds and heavier rainfall. The IPCC predicts that storms reaching Categories 4 and 5 — the most severe — could increase by 10% if global temperatures rise by 1.5 C, and by 20% if they climb by 4 C. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology also projects that by the end of the century, the number of strong tropical cyclones will rise by 6.6%, with an 11.8% increase in rainfall. Murakami warned that this heavier rainfall, combined with rising sea levels, could lead to more severe storm surges — flooding caused by cyclones — in the future, posing a significant risk to coastal communities. Baker added that tropical cyclones are also becoming increasingly challenging to predict, leading to more inaccurate forecasts that can affect disaster response.
