Japan's Islands Hit by Back-to-Back Typhoons
The Izu Islands have endured another powerful blow as tropical cyclone Nakri swept through the area on Monday, coming just after Typhoon Halong, which hit seven days prior.
Immediate Impact on the Island of Hachijojima
Officials on Hachijojima Island noted interruptions and destruction to approximately 220 residences after the storm brought an hour of rainfall totaling 37mm and gusts of up to 95mph (152km/h). Flight services were interrupted, infrastructure damaged, and heavy rainfall triggered landslides across the island chain. The storm also generated 9-metre waves, leading to hazardous shoreline situations. Off the Pacific coast in Oiso, in the Kanagawa region, three fishermen were carried off by waves, with one fatality reported.
The Evolution of Nakri
The storm has since shifted into an non-tropical storm system, weakening as it moved eastwards over chilled northern Pacific seas, with gusts reducing to around 65mph as of Thursday. Moving along the air current, its remnants are on track to reach the Canadian province of British Columbia, delivering intense precipitation, powerful gusts, and coastal flooding.
Recalling Halong's Fury
A week earlier, Halong discharged more than 200mm of rain in three hours, as maximum sustained winds reached 122mph. By the late morning of the previous Thursday, precipitation levels climbed to 349mm, breaking the daily rainfall record. The storm's leftovers then traveled over the northern Pacific and reached Alaska on Sunday, causing an unprecedented 2-meter coastal surge.
Alaska's Severe Damage
The coastal villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok were the most affected. A single fatality occurred, homes were destroyed, and nearly 1,500 people had to evacuate to safe zones. Alaska experienced an historic mass evacuation by air to evacuate displaced residents. Halong remains among the strongest cyclones the area has ever seen. Its rapid intensification was driven by abnormally hot northern Pacific seas, which provided extra heat and moisture.
Double Trouble in Mexico
At the same time, the country faced two consecutive hits last week as the leftovers of Priscilla and Raymond combined, dumping about 609mm of rain in four days across the central and eastern areas. Guided by a trough in the air current, the two weather events struck the same zone one after another. The initial heavy rains from Priscilla made the soil waterlogged, intensifying flooding when Raymond arrived. More than 300 communities were impacted by mudslides and river overflows. By Wednesday, 66 people have been confirmed dead and 75 individuals are still unaccounted for. Search and relief efforts persist, with stagnant floodwaters raising health concerns in remote zones.
