05/09/2026
Typhoon and Severe Weather Preparedness
During the hot summer months, large wind + rainstorms begin to form in the Pacific Ocean areas well to the south & southeast of Japan. These storms are called "typhoons", and that name is really the English language version of: 台風 (tai-fu, where the first character 台[颱] means "strong" and the second character 風 means "wind". Statistically, August is the month when most typhoons form -- but September is when at least one large typhoon will make actual landfall in Japan. What also happens in September is due to seasonal weather changes -- autumn rain fronts (秋雨前線, "aki-same-zensen") bring cooler air from the north, which collides with the warm/humid summer air over Japan. So, September can be a pretty stormy month, with high winds and heavy rains. Living in your Japanese house or apartment, it is a good idea to closely follow weather reports and be prepared. Of note, the link below from Yokosuka Navy Base (CFAY) has a large amount of emergency management information regarding typhoons and is well worth studying. Overall, the urban infrastructure in the Yokosuka City area is structurally sound and pretty much stormproof. However, there is a possibility of flooding in low-lying areas and there can also be temporary electric power outages -- so, it is a good idea to store some food, drinking water, batteries, etc., for emergency use. Also, if your dwelling is equipped with shutters, be sure to close them before the storms hit. We hope you can live comfortably & safely during bad weather events, and if you have any questions, please ask us.
LINK:
U.S. Navy Emergency Management Information About Typhoons
https://cnrj.cnic.navy.mil/installations/cfa-yokosuka/operations-and-management/emergency-management/tropical-cyclone-condition-of-readiness/
