Record rainfall floods roads and disrupts rail services in Nagoya, Japan

Nagoya recorded 104.5 mm (4.1 inches) of rain in one hour on September 8, 2026, setting an all-time station record as flooding disrupted roads and rail services. Nagoya City issued Level 5 Emergency Safety Measures for communities along the Kanare, Yada and Ueda rivers, while the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued a Level 5 flood special warning for the Shonai River system at LT ( UTC). The municipal Level 5 measures were downgraded at LT ( UTC), while local media reported four injuries across Aichi Prefecture. The Nagoya observation station recorded a maximum one-hour rainfall total of 104.5 mm (4.1 inches) and a 12-hour total of 213 mm (8.4 inches) by LT ( UTC) on September 8. This was the highest hourly rainfall on record, with records at Nagoya going back to 1890. JMA identified a linear precipitation band over western Aichi Prefecture and the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture during the event. Nagoya City issued Level 5 Emergency Safety Measures for communities along the Kanare River at LT ( UTC), citing rising water levels and the possibility that inundation was already occurring. The emergency covered Fujimidai, Miyane and Chiyodabashi in Chikusa Ward; Moritaka-nishi and Moritaka-higashi in Moriyama Ward; and Kanare, Yutakagaoka and Hikiyama in Meito Ward. At LT ( UTC), the city expanded Level 5 Emergency Safety Measures to communities along the Yada and Ueda rivers. Local reporting said the combined measures covered 607 879 households and 1 172 102 people across 14 wards. The city instructed people in dangerous locations to secure their safety immediately, including a higher floor or a nearby building less exposed to flooding. Level 4 evacuation orders were issued along several other waterways as water levels rose. Nagoya City established a disaster response headquarters at LT ( UTC), after a Level 4 Urgent Warning for heavy rain was issued. At LT ( UTC), JMA and MLIT issued a Level 5 flood special warning for the Shonai River system, stating that flooding had occurred or was extremely likely to have occurred. The affected forecast area included Nagoya, Seto, Kasugai, Komaki, Ichinomiya, Inazawa, Kiyosu, Kitanagoya and Ama, along with Toyoyama, Ōharu and Kanie in Aichi Prefecture and Tajimi and Toki in Gifu Prefecture. The Seko reference observation station on the Yada River reached the designated flood-occurrence level. JMA and MLIT said flooding might already have occurred and that parts of Nagoya could be inundated. At LT ( UTC), JMA and MLIT listed the Gojo, Kanare, Jizo, Yada and Kanie rivers above their flood-danger levels. The Ogiyama River in the Tenpaku system was also above its flood-danger threshold.