Western Japan Records Earliest End to Rainy Season

Western Japan has experienced its record earliest termination of its rainy season as records have started, with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) confirming that the season has ended around three weeks earlier than normal. The rainy season, normally lasting between June and July, has terminated very abruptly in late June, setting a new record in the nation's meteorology.

The JMA indicated the premature conclusion of the rainy season shatters records from the 1960s to the 1990s when the earlier record breaks were observed early in July. This is happening as more and more erratic weather patterns are being experienced throughout the world, primarily attributed to long-term changes in the behaviour of the climate. The event has also precipitated controversies over the causative effects of climate change on climatic conditions in the area, even though no direct causative relationship has yet been established with the ongoing event.

A changing climate has already hit Japan. The previous summer was the nation's hottest summer ever during recorded times, with urban areas and rural towns reporting extreme climatic conditions. Moreover, recent winters have tended to be more lacking in rainfall and snow, raising the threat of environmental disasters like wildfires. A fire in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, earlier this year was logged as Japan's worst on record in more than 50 years, marking the increasing problems with drier seasonal weather.

JMA also reported that the Pacific coast of the nation experienced its worst winter drought on record since weather records have been kept, starting from 1946. Lower rainfall not only influences natural water sources and crops but also puts additional pressure on disaster relief programs. The threat of fire and drought is much increased in dry spells of prolonged duration, particularly in rural areas of high vegetation and restricted access to water sources.

Besides dryness, Japan is also susceptible to bouts of severe weather patterns like typhoons that have caused floods and landslides over time. The episodes indicate increasing unpredictability of weather patterns across East Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific basin. Although typhoons create heavy rainfall amounts that can replenish stocks, they also cause damage to infrastructure and loss of life simply due to severity.

Early termination of rains is brought about by an old high-pressure system in the atmosphere over western Japan. The system is not weakening at all, and this has led to a transition to dry hot weather ahead of expectation. High-pressure systems will suppress cloud and rain formation, cause temperatures to rise, and produce long dry spells.

While JMA has not yet made a direct connection between the present high-pressure pattern and global warming, it has admitted these kinds of changes in weather patterns have been experienced over decades. The continuous variability in climate and its effects on Japan's seasonal pattern indicate the necessity for long-term adaptation measures in numerous sectors, such as agriculture, urban planning, and disaster management.

As each new climate model arises, government leaders and scientists are striving to learn more about how anthropogenic climate change is related to local patterns of change in the weather. In the short term, officials are calling for communities to ready themselves for an increasingly warmer and potentially more dangerous summer season. That includes looking into water conservation strategies, improving infrastructure for wildfires, and fortifying infrastructure to deal with heatwaves and surprise weather shifts.

The premature demise of the rainy season is another indication of climatic aberrations which Japan, and much of the world, is increasingly starting to experience. Watching out, being prepared, and policy planning would be crucial in countering the effects of such changes on human safety, ecological sustainability, and economic stability.

Source:
Adapted from AFP article