THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 3, 2020 at 17:24 JST
Water is sprinkled over a road with snow-melt piping as an anti-heat measure in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, on Sept. 3. (Natsuki Midorikawa)
The city of Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, broke national temperature records when the mercury hit 40 degrees at 12:58 p.m. on Sept. 3, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The agency said it is the first time temperatures of 40 degrees or more have been recorded in Japan in the month of September.
Weather experts pointed to three likely culprits that conspired to break the record.
First, it was already warm with clear weather and high atmospheric pressure. Second, southerly winds intensified due to Typhoon No. 9. And, finally, a type of dry, warm wind that crossed over the mountains--known as a foehn wind--blanketed the area.
Tokyo reports record 193 deaths from heatstroke in August
September 3, 2020
Eastern Japan sweltered under record heat during August
September 2, 2020
High-pressure systems over Japan bring extreme heat
August 18, 2020
Numbers of sick, dead increasing as heat wave scorches Japan
August 18, 2020
Gunma records this year's high for Japan amid Kanto heat wave
August 11, 2020
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
