Tropical Storm Meari makes landfall in central Japan, causing heavy rain and high winds. 72,000 people are evacuated from the city of Shizuoka.

The 2022 Pacific typhoon season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation, in which tropical cyclones form in the western Pacific Ocean. The season runs throughout 2022, though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October. Tropical Storm Meari unleashed heavy rains on Japan’s main Honshu island as it headed northward Saturday toward the capital, Tokyo, according to Japanese weather officials. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Meari made landfall in Shizuoka prefecture southwest of Tokyo in the afternoon, bringing sudden heavy rains and blasting winds to a widespread area and prompting warnings about mudslides and flooding. The storm unleashed heavy rains on Japan’s main Honshu island as it headed northward, on Saturday toward the capital, Tokyo, according to Japanese weather officials. People of affected areas have been evacuated with high precautions.