Photo/Illutration A vehicle lies overturned in a parking lot in Yoshida, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Sept. 8, three days after a powerful tornado struck the area. (Noboru Tomura)

A devastating tornado that wreaked havoc in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sept. 5 has been classified as one of the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The twister, spawned by Typhoon No. 15, overturned vehicles and downed utility poles in Makinohara and Yoshida, both located on the Pacific coast.

The funnel cloud reached an estimated wind speed of 270 kph, placing it in the third-highest category on the JMA’s six-level tornado intensity scale.

Another intense gust that struck neighboring Kakegawa the same day is also believed to have been a tornado, with estimated wind speeds of 198 kph. This would place it one level below the Makinohara-Yoshida tornado on the intensity scale.

JMA officials said that the combination of the typhoon’s path and rapidly developing localized thunderclouds led to a once-in-a-decade meteorological phenomenon.

In the devastated communities, cleanup efforts continued on Sept. 8, as residents worked to clear debris from damaged homes and streets.

According to the prefecture, the severe weather phenomenon resulted in 89 people injured, mainly in Makinohara and Yoshida.

A total of 1,336 homes in seven municipalities were damaged, including 1,044 in Makinohara and 98 in Yoshida. Additionally, 307 homes reported flooding damage.

As of Sept. 8, 21 people remained in evacuation shelters in Makinohara.

The storm caused widespread power outages, with more than 20,000 homes losing electricity. According to the utility, power was fully restored by 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 8.

In total, 40 utility poles collapsed and 10 more were left leaning in Makinohara and Yoshida, with electrical wires damaged at approximately 500 locations.

(This article was written by Shoko Rikimaru and Toshinari Kuwayama.)

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