Ron Brackett
Officials are investigating the possibility that a tornado damaged nearly 100 homes and other buildings in central Japan on Saturday.
There were no reports of serious injuries, according to Kyodo News, but 97 structures had roofs torn off and windows shattered in Makinohara, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Strong wind gusts blew up at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tornado alerts for Shizuoka Prefecture. A team of local weather officials is studying the damage to determine whether it was caused by a tornado, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation reported.
(MORE: Several Mississippi Cities Damaged By Reported Tornadoes)
Images from the city showed overturned vehicles and cars stuck under collapsed structures. Utility poles leaned precariously over roadways.
Power was knocked out to about 3,200 homes.
Tornadoes are rare in Japan, which has averaged 23 tornadoes and another 32 waterspouts each year from 2007 through 2017, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
They can occur any month of the year, but they typically peak from August through October, coinciding with the peak threat of western Pacific tropical cyclones, within which they can embed.
Otherwise, they can occur with frontal systems such as in the U.S. However, colder water nearby in the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean can limit the instability needed for the type of severe thunderstorms that often spawn tornadoes in the U.S.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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