7,000 People Were Stranded At An Airport Overnight After Japan's Worst Rainfall EVER — And The Numbers Are Absolutely Staggering 🌧️

Stop scrolling — because what's happening in Japan right now is absolutely devastating.

At least six people have died after what officials are calling "unprecedented" rainfall absolutely hammered eastern Japan near Tokyo, according to BBC News. And that's not even the full picture.

More than 7,000 travellers were stranded overnight at Tokyo's Narita airport. Power was cut to over 20,000 households. And authorities forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes as the deluge triggered landslides and flooding.

This is serious, and it's still happening.

The Numbers Are Staggering

Chiba prefecture — which sits right next to Tokyo — has been getting more than 100mm of rain per hour since Thursday afternoon, BBC News reports. That's about three times the average rainfall for the entire month of August.

And here's the kicker: it's the highest volume of precipitation ever recorded in Japan. Yes, really.

"This case was an extremely unusual situation, even by Japan's historical weather standards," Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters Friday morning. "I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this."

Local authorities issued a level five emergency warning — the highest alert possible — on Thursday. It's been downgraded to level four, but they're still warning about landslide and flooding risks as the rain continues through Friday.

What's Happening On The Ground

Among the victims was a woman who died inside her car after it became submerged on a flooded road, according to BBC News. Two others collapsed in the streets and later died.

Cars were left abandoned in the streets. Rail services remain suspended. Major highways are shut down.

Around 1,800 people spent the night at the Chiba Prefectural Government building after being unable to get home.

"The power is out so I'm worried whether I can open my business in the next couple of days," one woman in Ichikawa city told NHK, adding that the rain "happened all of a sudden so it was a complete surprise."

The Airport Chaos

Thousands of travellers were stuck overnight at Narita Airport as transportation to and from the facility ground to a halt. Passengers were also stranded at metro stations across the region.

The good news? All flights are scheduled to operate normally on Friday, a Narita spokesperson said. Japan Airlines warned some flights may be delayed but doesn't expect cancellations.

Still — imagine being stuck in an airport overnight because the rain outside is literally record-breaking. We cannot.

Part Of A Bigger Pattern

This isn't happening in isolation. Japan, the Philippines, and China were all hit by back-to-back storms this week — Dolphin, Chan-Hom, and Peilou — churning across the region at the same time.

Over the weekend, Chinese authorities evacuated more than a million people as Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest to hit China so far this year, made landfall in the country's east.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the deluge was caused by warm, humid air flowing into eastern Japan that combined with cold air above, making atmospheric conditions "extremely unstable." They've described it as an "unprecedented level of heavy rain."

Forecasters are warning this could be an unusually active typhoon season — and we're only in August.

What Happens Next

Authorities say they're prioritising saving lives and will continue rescue efforts as the rain persists through late Friday.

Governor Kumagai stressed that rescue teams are working around the clock to reach anyone still in danger.

The Philippines has again shut schools and government offices in most of the country's north, bracing for more flooding.

This is a developing situation — and our thoughts are with everyone affected by these devastating storms.

Have you ever been caught in extreme weather while travelling? How would you handle being stranded at an airport overnight? Let us know below.

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Sources:

• BBC News - 'Unprecedented' rains in Japan kill six people