Heavy rain triggered widespread power outages and a Level 5 special warning across Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures on Thursday [7].
The extreme weather has displaced thousands of residents and disrupted critical infrastructure, signaling a high risk of life-threatening flooding and landslides in the region.
Authorities issued the Level 5 heavy-rain special warning at 06:20 JST [7]. The warning follows forecasts of extreme precipitation across the two prefectures. Following the warning, power outages began at 07:15 JST [6].
In Himi City, approximately 1,700 households lost electricity [1]. Other affected areas include Hakui City, where about 260 households lost power [3], and Hodatsushimizu Town, where approximately 160 households were affected [4]. In Toyama City, about 20 households experienced outages [2], which officials said were due to lightning. Fewer than 10 households lost power in Shiga Town [5].
Emergency measures have been scaled up as the storm continues. A total of 180,169 people are currently under emergency safety orders [8]. Additionally, 173,638 residents have been issued evacuation instructions [9].
While the cause of the outages in Himi City remains under investigation, the scale of the disruptions coincides with the most severe warning level used by Japanese meteorological authorities. Local officials said they continue to monitor the precipitation levels to prevent further casualties.
“Approximately 1,700 households lost electricity in Himi City”
The issuance of a Level 5 warning represents the highest tier of alert in Japan, indicating an imminent threat to life. The combination of mass evacuations and infrastructure failure suggests that the volume of precipitation has exceeded the capacity of local drainage and power grids, necessitating a large-scale emergency response to prevent casualties.
