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Batten down the hatches

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Batten down the hatches

Now the worst of the heat and humidity is behind us, we have the peak typhoon season to look forward to. Typhoons (tropical cyclones) wreak havoc in Japan just as they do everywhere else – an unstoppable force of gale-force winds and furious thunderstorms, coupled with the dangers of flooding and landslides. Whoopee. Although the typhoon season spans Jun–Sep, the peak is right about now. Even the mildest ones can bring public transport to a standstill, so understanding the weather warnings on TV, radio and online may help prevent you from being stranded someplace you’d rather not.

Typhoons are given numbers rather names here in Japan and are numbered in order of occurrence. So on TV you might hear an approaching taifu (from the Chinese tai feng) being referred to as “typhoon no.6” (taifu roku-go) etc. by weather forecasters. Most typhoons seem to pass us by here in Kansai luckily, but watch out for the following warnings regardless, or be prepared to seek shelter in a karaoke box for several hours while the storm passes.

Vocab
台風 たいふう taifuu Typhoon
洪水 こうずい kouzui Flood
津波 つなみ tsunami Tsunami/Tidal Wave
暴風 ぼうふう boufuu Windstorm
低気圧 ていきあつ tei kiatsu Low Atmospheric Pressure
高気圧 こうきあつ kou kiatsu High Atmospheric Pressure
前線 ぜんせん zensen Weather Front
注意報 ちゅういほう chuiho Weather warning (caution)
警報 けいほう keiho Extreme weather warning
風速 ふうそく fusoku Wind speed
大雨洪水
警報
おおあめこう
ずいけいほう
oame-kozui
keiho
Heavy rain and flooding warning
運転見合
わせ
うんてんみあ
わせ
unten miawase Delayed (trains,
planes etc.)
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