Four typhoons occur simultaneously in November… Experts warn of a “cold vortex” and the possibility of killer snowstorms and torrential rains.

The abnormal weather that has marked this year is likely to continue.

The Japanese archipelago was hit by a record-breaking heat wave this year, with a total of 8,821 extremely hot days recorded at stations across the country from June to August. The total number of extremely hot days recorded at stations nationwide from June to August was 8,821, far exceeding the previous record of 6,692 set in 2011.

The effects of the abnormal weather continued into November, with three typhoons No. 22 to No. 24 occurring in early November alone. In addition, Typhoon No. 25 appeared on November 12, resulting in the “simultaneous” occurrence of four typhoons in the seas around Japan. This is the first November event since observations began in 1951.

Damage on the scale of 39 trillion yen” occurred around the world.

Furthermore, extreme weather events of a natural disaster magnitude continue to occur around the world.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in the United States at the end of September, exceeded 200. This was the worst death toll since Katrina in 2005. The economic loss is estimated by some to be up to 250 billion dollars (about 39 trillion yen). About two weeks later, “Milton,” which had temporarily developed into a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Florida, albeit with reduced strength. In some places, it brought torrential rains said to be once in 1,000 years. The damage was extensive, including flooding and the collapse of buildings due to strong winds, and the rating agency Fitch Ratings estimates the insurance industry’s losses at $30 to 50 billion (approximately 4.68 to 7.8 trillion yen).

Yoshihiro Tachibana, a professor at Mie University’s School of Bioresource Sciences and an expert on extreme weather, explains the string of hurricanes.

It is extremely rare for two powerful hurricanes to occur in succession. Hurricanes develop when sea surface temperatures are high. It is true that water temperatures in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are high, but when one hurricane develops, the second should be weak. This is because large wind-driven waves stir up the ocean water, causing the warm upper layer of water to mix with the deeper layer, lowering the temperature. But the fact that the two in a row were so powerful means that the water temperature was high in the considerable depths of the ocean.”

A “cold vortex” bringing cold air from the continent

An unparalleled natural disaster also occurred in Europe: on October 29-30, torrential rains caused massive flooding in the eastern Spanish province of Valencia. The death toll rose to 223, and 17 people are still missing. Less than two weeks later, on November 13, heavy rainfall occurred again, and meteorological authorities issued warnings in Andalusia and Catalonia to be on the lookout while damage such as flooding of roads and buildings was reported, and about 3,000 people had to be evacuated.

The aforementioned Mr. Tachibana points out, “Like hurricanes in the U.S., these are caused by global warming.

The temperature of sea water around Europe, including the Mediterranean Sea, is also extremely high. The water vapor from the warm ocean turned into clouds and caused heavy rainfall. The cause of the high water temperatures is the intense heat caused by global warming. And as the temperature difference between the Arctic and mid-latitude regions narrowed due to global warming, the westerly winds weakened and meandered violently, bringing the “cold vortex” down to Spain.

The cold vortex is a type of low-pressure system with strong cold air, and if the westerly winds are strong, it will move to the east. However, this did not happen, and the cold vortex remained over Spain, sucking warm moist air from the ground into the sky and causing heavy rainfall.

Abnormal weather is occurring in many parts of the world. Global warming is at the root of the string of typhoons that have hit the seas around Japan even though it is mid-November. Furthermore, the cold vortex that caused extensive damage in Europe two weeks ago is not far away and may affect Japan as well, according to Tachibana.

Sea water temperatures are higher than normal near Japan,” he says, “and rain clouds are likely to develop. This means that conditions are ripe for another strong typhoon to come along shortly after a typhoon passes, like a hurricane in the United States. Furthermore, due in part to global warming, the progression of the seasons has been delayed by about a month, and the ocean environment, including tidal currents and sea water temperatures, is similar to that of October in previous years; October is typhoon season, so typhoons are currently still coming in November.

And the severe meandering of westerly winds is similar near Japan, with the meandering pattern hanging to the south and cold air from the continent coming down to cover the Japanese islands. Japan is now prone to flooding and landslides due to heavy rains caused by autumn rain fronts linked to typhoons and low-pressure systems and stagnant cold vortexes. In addition, December and January are forecast to be colder than normal. The cold vortex from the meandering westerly winds will pull cold air from the north. In midwinter, there is concern about heavy snow damage as well as heavy rainfall. Right now, Japan’s seasons are abruptly changing from summer to winter.”

Disaster-grade heavy snow and rainfall are looming over Japan.