The Tokyo rainfall record rain streak finally ended on Sep 30, with rain on 35 days in a row. That is the longest run in roughly 140 years of weather records.
The Tokyo rainfall record rain began on Aug 27. It did not stop until the last day of September. Every single day brought at least some rain. Some days brought heavy downpours. Other days brought only a light drizzle. But the streak stayed alive.
According to EuropeSays, central Tokyo received 629 millimeters of rain in September. That is nearly three times the normal monthly total. The city saw only 45.8 hours of daylight in the same period, the second lowest total on record. Fourteen days had no sunshine at all.
The Japan Meteorological Agency counts a day as rainy even when less than 0.5 millimeters falls. So some of the 35 days of the Tokyo rainfall record rain saw only a brief sprinkle. But the clouds never left. The damp air never lifted.
Weather experts blame a stuck autumn rain front for the Tokyo rainfall record rain. Warm wet air from the south met cool air from the north over Tokyo. The front between them refused to move. It kept making clouds and rain for weeks.
This year’s El Nino added fuel to the Tokyo rainfall record rain. It warmed the Pacific Ocean and pushed more wet air toward Japan. Masayuki Kyoda is an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency. He told Agence France Presse that autumn rain fronts are staying longer than usual.
Typhoons made things worse. They marched past Japan and pumped huge amounts of tropical moisture into the stuck front. On Sep 21, Typhoon Dujuan dumped about 156 millimeters of rain on central Tokyo in a single day, the heaviest hit of the Tokyo rainfall record rain. Earlier in the month, the same storm caused flooding and landslides in Chiba prefecture. Eight people died. Dozens of homes were destroyed.
Another storm may already be on the way. Weather officials say the 26th typhoon of the season is moving northeast. It could brush the Kanto region, where Tokyo sits, right after the Tokyo rainfall record rain ended.
People in Tokyo are tired of the gray sky after the Tokyo rainfall record rain. Many now talk about rain fatigue on social media. Weeks without sun wear the body down. Hiromichi Ito is a doctor who runs a clinic in the capital. He told the Sankei Shimbun that long rain, low air pressure and high humidity can cause headaches and dizziness.
One user on X wrote that the endless rain must be to blame for a low mood. Another said that feeling worn out is not your fault. Daily life got harder too during the Tokyo rainfall record rain. Workers could not dry their clothes at home. Many made extra trips to the launderette. Commutes turned slow and damp. Parks and playgrounds sat empty for weeks.
The endless wet weather damaged crops near Tokyo. That pushed up vegetable prices. The price of a head of lettuce shot up fast. Shoppers felt the pinch at every store.
The previous record was 33 straight rainy days. It was set between June 27 and July 29 in 2019. This new Tokyo rainfall record rain streak beat it by two full days. Records in Tokyo go back to 1886. No one alive has seen a wetter run.
Experts say the link between the Tokyo rainfall record rain and the climate crisis is hard to prove. But the weather agency has warned that global warming is changing Japan’s weather for the long term. It brings more rain overall. Scientists are watching the skies closely.
TrendKia notes that the Tokyo rainfall record rain streak finally broke as October began. Tokyo residents are hoping for a dry autumn. Japan is famous for bold science projects. But no project can push a stuck rain front away. For now, Tokyo can only wait for the sun.
The MES Times Take. Thirty five days of the Tokyo rainfall record rain is more than a weather story. It is a reminder that the sky still runs our lives. We plan our days around phones and calendars. But one stuck front can empty parks, double food prices and tire out millions. The good news is simple. Tokyo survived. People helped each other. Shops stayed open. Life went on, umbrellas up. As the old line goes, after rain comes sunshine. Tokyo has waited long enough to enjoy it.
