Another Day, More 'Record Rainfall', Flooding

Heavy rain emergency declared in Kirishima, Kagoshima as record rainfall hits Kyushu, Japan

Rishav Kothari

A heavy rain emergency was issued for Kirishima City, Kagoshima as record rainfall lashed Kyushu, dropping nearly 500 mm (20 inches) of rain in just 12 hours on August 8, 2025. At least two people were hospitalized in Aira City after a landslide triggered by the heavy rain caused a house to collapse.

• Southern Kyushu, especially Kirishima city in Kagoshima Prefecture, saw record rain on August 8, with 12-hour totals reaching up to 495 mm (19.49 inches) and breaking all previous local records.
• Japan’s highest emergency warning level was declared for Kirishima, signaling imminent life-threatening hazards.
• Two people hospitalized in Aira city after a landslide buried their home.
• The Japan Meteorological Agency warns of up to 200 mm (7.87 inches) of daily rainfall in southern Kyushu through August 11.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a heavy rain emergency for Kirishima city, Kagoshima Prefecture, at around 05:50 LT on August 8, after record rainfall triggered floods and landslides across southern Kyushu.

At Mizobe, a district of Kirishima, hourly precipitation reached 107.5 mm (4.23 inches) in the hour through 03:00 LT, the highest 1-hour total on record for that location. The 12-hour total there reached 483 mm (19.02 inches) by 04:50 LT, also a record. At Makinohara, within Kirishima, the 12-hour total rose to 495 mm (19.49 inches) by 06:10 LT, setting a new local record.

10 dead, 33 missing after Yuzhong County, China, receives half a year’s rainfall in 24 hours

Rishav Kothari

Flash floods in Yuzhong County have claimed at least 10 lives and left 33 missing as of 15:30 local time (LT) on August 8.

Heavy rainfall began at around 18:00 local time on August 7, triggering flash floods across the county. More than 4 000 people from four villages were stranded in the Xinglong Mountain area as the floods disrupted power and telecommunications.

By the morning of August 8, 195 mm (7.68 inches) of rainfall was recorded in the mountainous parts of Yuzhong. This equaled roughly half of the county’s average annual rainfall of 300–400 mm (12–16 inches).

Some local reports indicate that parts of the region received over 220 mm (9 inches) of rain in 24 hours between August 7 and 8.

Three people were reported missing after a landslide occurred in Maliantan village, in the mountainous areas near Lanzhou, on August 7.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged full-scale rescue efforts in the county. The local government activated a Level-1 emergency response, and the National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan (about USD 14 million) to support the rescue operations.