Tropical Storm Etau

Tropical Storm Etau formed yesterday off the southern coast of Japan. This storm approached Japan's main island and then took a hard right turn but not before causing a great deal of damage and death.

13 die due to typhoon-triggered heavy rain in western Japan (Japan Today)

OKAYAMA — Thirteen people have died due to typhoon-triggered heavy rain in Hyogo and Okayama prefectures in western Japan, local police said Monday.

Western Japan including the two prefectures was hit by floods and landslides as Typhoon Etau brought torrential rain to the region.

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Of the 13 dead victims, 12 were residents of Hyogo, including Takeharu Hirooka, 54, an official of the municipal government of Sayo, whose body was found in a submerged car early Monday. A record 326.5 millimeters of rain was logged in the 24 hours from 12 a.m. Sunday in Sayo.

The town has asked for the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces for rescue operations while issuing an evacuation recommendation for all its areas.

Some 390 houses in Sayo were flooded and 2,290 people have evacuated to schools. The town hall was also flooded with 1.5 meters of water Sunday night, forcing town officials to work on the second floor.

In Okayama, mudslides destroyed two houses in Mimasaka near the border with Hyogo and one person died.

Japan Rains Leave 13 Dead; Tropical Storm Approaches (Update2) (Bloomberg)

Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Thirteen people died in Japan when rains caused
flooding and mudslides in the southwest and other areas, national broadcaster NHK Television said, as
a tropical storm approached the coast threatening more downpours.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level warnings for floods and heavy rain in areas from the southern island of Kyushu to the northern prefecture of Akita.

More rain is forecast as Tropical Storm Etau heads toward the country. The center of Etau was 210 kilometers south of the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, as of 6:50 p.m. Japan time today, according to the weather agency.

Etau was heading north-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour with maximum
sustained winds of 74 kph and is forecast to pass to the south of Tokyo after 9 a.m. tomorrow, the agency said on its Web site. The storm’s winds were gusting to 111 kph.

According to Tropical Storm Risk , Etau has since been downgraded to a tropical depression and is skirting along the coast. It is expected to drift out to sea in the next few days.