Heavy storms occur in the east of Japan due to low pressure and swells [Marine summary (March 15-21, 2026)]

2026/03/25 18:05

Due to the influence of the swell that developed from the east of Japan to the far east of Japan, and later northward and south of the Aleutians, waves rose widely in the Pacific side of northern and western Japan and the East China Sea, and there were areas in the east of Japan that became turbulent.
Below is the ocean summary (March 15th to 21st, 2026).



#Pressure distribution and waves
From the 15th to the 17th, a developed low pressure system moved eastward from the east of Japan to the far east of Japan, and later moved northward. The effects of this low pressure and swells propagating from the south of the Aleutians caused waves to rise in the Pacific side of northern and western Japan and the East China Sea. On the 15th, a major storm occurred in eastern Japan. On the 16th, it broke out in eastern Japan.
From the 18th to the 20th, a low pressure system accompanied by a front passed near Honshu and moved eastward to the east of Japan. From the 20th to the 21st, another low pressure system moved eastward from the northern Sea of Japan and passed near Hokkaido.
On the 19th, waves rose in the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, and there was a storm in the eastern Kanto region. On the 21st, waves were high in the northern and central parts of the Japan Sea and on the Pacific side, with heavy waves occurring in the northern part of the Sea of Japan, off the coast of Sanriku, and east of the Kanto region.



#Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperatures in the Japanese waters decreased in areas where the sea surface temperature was higher than normal in the north, and areas where the sea surface temperature was higher than normal in the west continued.
In the East China Sea, the area slightly higher than normal has shrunk.
The waters around the Nansei Islands continued to be at normal levels.
South of Japan is at normal levels, and areas off the coast of the Tokai region and south of Kanto are expanding in waters that are slightly lower than normal.
To the east of the Kanto region, sea areas that are much higher than normal have shrunk. The maximum temperature was 3 C higher than normal.
Off the coast of Sanriku, off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, near the Chishima Islands, and in the Sea of Okhotsk, the sea ice area was at normal levels, and the area of sea ice gradually expanded in the waters near the Chishima Islands and the Sea of Okhotsk.

[Cherry blossom front moving north] Cherry blossoms will bloom in Hokuriku next week! When does it bloom (Commentary: Weather forecaster #Atsuko Miyake)

2026/03/25 15:06

Cherry blossoms bloomed in Takamatsu today. (As of noon)



Kofu's cherry blossoms were in full bloom yesterday,
making it the top blooming area in Japan this year.

The cherry blossom front is starting to move north, and it looks like it will finally reach the Hokuriku region.



Let's take a look at the latest cherry blossom bloom forecast in the Hokuriku region.

In the Hokuriku region, the earliest flowering is expected to occur in Fukui around March 30th,
followed by Kanazawa and Toyama around March 31st, and
Niigata around April 5th.

There are standards for this cherry blossom blooming.




A specimen tree used by the Japan Meteorological Agency to observe flowering status. The state in which 5 to 6 flowers have bloomed is called "blooming."
A tree is said to be in full bloom when more than 80% of its buds are open.
The number of days from flowering to full bloom depends on the weather and location, but on average it takes about a week.

I'm curious about the future weather.



It looks like spring from now on, and the weather changes periodically.

However, even with the rain, the temperature will be high,
It is likely that the rain will encourage the cherry blossoms to bloom.

Friday the 27th and Sunday the 29th will be sunny and temperatures will rise.

In the Hokuriku region, there will be a rush of cherry blossom blooming next week.
The best time to view the cherry blossoms is from the first to second week of April.

[Weekly weather] Rain and rising temperatures accelerate cherry blossom blooming and full bloom! (Commentary: Weather forecaster #Atsuko Miyake)

2026/03/25 14:10

By 2pm today, March 25th (Wednesday), cherry blossoms had bloomed in Takamatsu and Mito.
Yesterday, cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Kofu, making it the top blooming area in Japan this year.
The cherry blossom viewing season is finally starting in western and eastern Japan.



However, it is raining in many places today.
Looking at the state of the rain clouds at this time, there are rain clouds from western Japan to eastern Japan due to the low pressure front.

Although the rain clouds are not very developed, it is raining about 5 to 6 mm per hour,
enough to form large puddles on the ground.


Tonight, a low pressure system is expected to develop over the sea south of Honshu and move eastward.
For this reason, both the rain and wind are likely to become stronger, especially in the Izu Islands, which are close to a low-pressure area.



Rain clouds will be widespread from Kyushu to the Kanto region in the afternoon.
From the evening until night, yellow and orange colors can be seen locally, and the rain is likely to become heavier.
At night, there are red signs near the Izu Islands,
accompanied by thunder, and in some cases, there is a risk of heavy rain.

The rain clouds that have developed are centered over the ocean, but
rain clouds are also spreading to the Kanto and Tohoku regions.

The rain will stop in the Kanto region around noon tomorrow, but
it looks like the weather will continue to be cloudy even after that.



The wind will also become stronger in the Izu Islands. Let's take a look at the

style. This is the wind forecast for tomorrow morning.
The orange arrow is swirling,
The wind is likely to become extremely strong, especially around Hachijojima in the southern part of the Izu Islands, which is close to the center of the low pressure system.
It seems like the wind will be so strong that you won't be able to stand at a distance of 30 meters.
Also, the sea is expected to be very rough.
Please be careful of strong winds and high waves in the Izu Islands.



Today, the 25th (Wednesday), it will rain mainly in western and eastern Japan, and
the rain will become stronger in some places.
Along with the rain, the wind is expected to increase on the Pacific side.
It is expected to start raining in the Tohoku region late at night.
The temperature will be lower than yesterday, and it will rain and it will feel a little cooler.



Tomorrow's weather.
Tomorrow, the weather in western Japan is expected to improve, and it will be sunny in many places during the day.
The rain is likely to stop in many parts of eastern Japan in the afternoon, but the weather in the Kanto region is likely to continue to be cloudy in the afternoon.
The north wind is blowing in Tokyo and it looks like it will feel chilly tomorrow.

It looks like there will be some places in Tohoku where rain will linger into the night.




Weekly forecast.
Friday the 27th and Sunday the 29th will be sunny and you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing in various places.
The temperature will rise to around 20 degrees in some places, so it looks like it will be a comfortable day for cherry blossom viewing.
Although it will rain again next week, it is not raining enough to cause the cherry blossoms to fall right away.
It looks like we'll still be able to enjoy cherry blossom viewing next week even after April begins.

3-month forecast: High temperatures tend to occur from April to June. Eastern and western Japan will experience more rain than normal.

2026/03/24 22:18

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced the three-month forecast for April to June today, the 24th (Tuesday). The area around Japan is likely to be covered in warm air, and temperatures are expected to be higher than normal nationwide for the next three months.
In addition, eastern and western Japan are susceptible to the effects of low pressure systems and fronts, so precipitation over the next three months will be at or above normal.



Atmospheric temperatures are expected to be high all over the world due to the effects of global warming. In addition, the La Nina-like conditions will disappear, and sea surface temperatures in the eastern to central Pacific will gradually rise, and will remain high in the western part of the country, mainly during the first half of the period. Therefore, the occurrence of cumulonimbus clouds is expected to increase from east of the Philippines to the central Pacific Ocean.

As a result of these effects, upper-level westerly winds are expected to flow norther than normal from near Japan to the sea east of Japan. Near Japan, westerly winds tend to enter the southern part of the country, and the whole country is likely to be covered in warm air.

As a result, the average temperature over the next three months is expected to be higher than normal nationwide. The warmth of spring arrives early, and the best time to see cherry blossoms in many places seems to be earlier than in normal years.
After that, the trend of high temperatures is expected to continue until June, and there is a risk that measures against the heat will be needed at a time when people are not yet accustomed to the heat. When participating in outdoor activities, please take early precautions and be careful not to get sick.



In April, there will be fewer sunny days than normal in eastern and western Japan, and precipitation is expected to be at or above normal. The rain is likely to be a blessing on the Pacific side, where rainfall tends to be light. On the other hand, Okinawa/Amami is less susceptible to the effects of low pressure and fronts, so it is expected that there will be fewer cloudy and rainy days than normal, and the amount of precipitation will be lower than normal.

From May to the first half of June, the weather will change to a multi-day cycle, and precipitation will be near normal across the country.

[Breaking news] Cherry blossoms in full bloom in Kofu, no longer a record. Check the weekly weather forecast for cherry blossom viewing.

2026/03/24 16:25

Today, the 24th (Tuesday), the area around Honshu was covered in high pressure and became sunny, leading to a rush for cherry blossoms to bloom.
As of 4pm, we have received news of cherry blossom blooming from 9 locations.



#Cherry blossoms blooming#
Shimonoseki 2 days earlier than normal 2 days earlier than last year
Wakayama Same as normal 2 days earlier than last year
Oita Same as normal 1 day earlier than last year
Nara 4 days earlier than normal 4 days earlier than last year
Utsunomiya 6 days earlier than normal 4 days earlier than last year
Miyazaki 1 day later than normal Same as last year
Matsuyama Same as normal 1 day earlier than last year
Tsu 5 days earlier than normal 4 days earlier than last year
Fukuoka 2 days later than normal 1 day earlier than last year

Also, from Kofu, we received news of Somei Yoshino cherry trees in full bloom for the first time in the country this year.

#Cherry blossoms in full bloom#
Kofu 9 days earlier than normal, 11 days earlier than last year

The other day, on Monday, March 16th, we received news of cherry blossoms blooming from Gifu, Kofu, and Kochi.
Kofu bloomed 10 days earlier than last year, making it the earliest flowering announcement in history.
The earliest record of full bloom in Kofu was March 22, 2002.

In many places, cherry blossoms reach full bloom within a week to 10 days after blooming.

#It will rain in short intervals from now on. Check the latest weekly weather for cherry blossom viewing





A low pressure system will form on the front near the Nansei Islands tomorrow, the 25th (Wednesday), and will move south of Japan.
It will rain from the morning in the Nansei Islands to Shikoku, and heavy rain with thunder is expected in some places in Amami and southern Kyushu.
It will rain during the day in China and parts of the Tokai region early on, and in the Kanto-Koshin region at night.
There are many places west of the Kanto region where temperatures will be lower than today, and in northern Kyushu and China, temperatures are expected to be lower than normal in some places.
The next day, on the 26th (Thursday), it will rain from Kinki to the southern Tohoku region, on the 27th (Friday) from Okinawa to Kyushu, and on the 28th (Saturday), it will rain in places in Okinawa, the Pacific side of eastern Japan, and the Sea of Japan side of Hokkaido, so the umbrellas will come in handy.
Since it rains in short intervals, please check the latest weekly weather forecast before cherry blossom viewing.

The weather is often unrefreshing through the weekend, but spring-like warmth continues.

2026/03/24 10:11

There is a low pressure system in the Sea of Okhotsk that is moving eastward.
There are also low pressure systems east of Sanriku and east of Kanto that are moving northeast.
On the other hand, there is an anticyclone moving southeast in the Sea of Japan, and it is spreading near Japan.

Currently, around Japan, there are many clouds in the Amami and Okinawa regions, but there are many other
regions where it is sunny.



Today, the 24th (Tuesday), the area around Honshu will be covered by high pressure.
It will be sunny over a wide area in northern and eastern Japan.
Western Japan will also have some sunny days, but the front will extend from the continent to the East China Sea and south of Kyushu.
As a result, clouds will gradually increase in the afternoon, and it will rain in parts of Kyushu at night.
It looks like it will be cloudy and rainy in Okinawa.
Temperatures will be higher than normal nationwide.



Tomorrow, a low pressure system will form on the front and move eastward along the southern coast of Honshu into the day after tomorrow.
For this reason, it will likely rain in many places, mainly in eastern and western Japan, into the day after tomorrow, the 26th (Thursday).

Furthermore, on the following 27th (Friday) and 28th (Saturday), fronts and low pressure systems are likely to form over the northern part of the Japan Sea and the southern coast of Honshu, so clouds are likely to spread and the weather may deteriorate in some places.





It is expected that there will be few clear sunny days this week, but the relatively warm weather will continue.
Yesterday, cherry blossoms bloomed at three locations,

[Sakura blooming] March 23, Kumamoto, 1 day later than normal, same as last year. [Kasuga, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto City]
[Cherry blossoms blooming] March 23, Kyoto, 3 days earlier than normal and 4 days earlier than last year. [Nijo Castle]
[Cherry blossoms blooming] March 23rd Kumagaya 4 days earlier than normal and 4 days earlier than last year. [City Sakura Tsutsumi]

We have already received news of cherry blossoms blooming in Utsunomiya, Matsuyama, and Miyazaki today.

[Sakura blooming] March 24th Utsunomiya 6 days earlier than normal and 4 days earlier than last year.
[Sakura blooming] March 24th Matsuyama Same as normal year, 1 day earlier than last year. [Dogo Park]
[Cherry blossoms blooming] March 24th Miyazaki 1 day later than normal, same as last year.

It looks like we will continue to receive news of blooming and full bloom in the future.

[Kanto] Flower-inducing rain that encourages cherry blossoms to bloom. Be careful of sudden heavy rain and thunderstorms along the mountains. The weather has improved by the time you get home.

2026/03/23 12:14

Today, the 23rd (Monday), after a three-day holiday, a low pressure system is moving eastward in the south of Japan.



In the Kanto region, rain clouds spread north of the low pressure system and covered the land, making it necessary to carry an umbrella when going to work in many places.



Rain clouds will move over the sea in the afternoon, and there will be more places where the rain will stop in the afternoon.
It will gradually become covered with high pressure, and it is expected that there will be some areas where it will clear up in the evening.
Please be careful not to leave your umbrella behind when you return home.



However, atmospheric conditions will be unstable in western Kanagawa Prefecture, western Tama in Tokyo, and the Chichibu region in Saitama Prefecture due to the influence of cold air in the upper atmosphere.
Please be careful of sudden heavy rain and lightning strikes, especially from late afternoon to evening.



In the Kanto region, the flowering of Yoshino cherry trees was announced in Tokyo on the 19th (Thursday) and in Yokohama and Maebashi yesterday, the 22nd (Sunday).
In other areas, today's rain may cause cherry blossoms to bloom.

Weekly weather The weather changes in short cycles, so check the weather forecast frequently to plan your cherry blossom viewing

2026/03/23 08:02

The weather in the future will change in short cycles. The Pacific side of western and eastern Japan is likely to experience relatively cloudy and rainy days.



Tomorrow, the 24th (Tuesday), the area around Honshu will be covered by a mobile high pressure system, and many places are expected to be sunny. However, the front will remain stationary near the East China Sea behind the high pressure system, and there will be some places in Kyushu where it will start raining from night.

On Wednesday the 25th, a low pressure system will move south of Honshu. As a result of this, there will be many places on the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan where it will rain. There may be localized thunderstorms and heavy rain, so please be careful about how the rain falls. The weather is expected to improve from the west on the 26th (Thursday).

A new low pressure system and front will pass south of Honshu on the 27th and 28th. There is a possibility that a low pressure system will pass near northern Japan, and the area of rain is likely to spread. After that, it is expected to be covered by a high pressure system, but the next low pressure system will approach Honshu. The weather is expected to deteriorate again over a wide area from the 30th to the 31st of the month.

The temperature in the future is expected to be around normal to higher than normal, and the cherry blossoms will bloom smoothly in various places. In some places where the flowers are already in bloom, it is likely that they will be in full bloom by the end of the month. However, the weather in the future is likely to change over a short period of time, and there will be relatively many cloudy and rainy days in western and eastern Japan, especially on the Pacific coast. When planning cherry blossom viewing, be sure to check the weather forecast frequently.

Cherry blossom blooming announced in Maebashi, Yokohama. Cherry blossoms are blooming at a faster pace than normal in various places

2026/03/22 22:03

Today, the 22nd (Sunday), it was announced that cherry blossoms (Somei Yoshino) will bloom in Maebashi, Yokohama.



The blooming of cherry blossoms (Somei Yoshino) in 2026 was announced in Kofu, Gifu, and Kochi on the 16th (Monday), and Kofu broke the record for the earliest blooming date in recorded history. Flowering was announced in Nagoya on the 17th, in Tokyo and Hiroshima on the 19th, in Shizuoka on the 20th, and in Saga on the 21st, all of which are showing earlier blooms than normal and last year.

In Maebashi, where flowering was announced today on the 22nd, the flowers bloomed 7 days earlier than normal and 6 days earlier than last year. In Yokohama, flowering was announced three days earlier in both normal years and last year.



There will be many warm days ahead, and the cherry blossoms will bloom smoothly. The flowers are expected to bloom earlier than normal in many places across the country, and in western and eastern Japan, they are expected to reach full bloom within a week to 10 days after blooming.
From now on, low pressure systems and fronts will likely pass near Honshu and become stagnant, and the weather will change every few days. In western and eastern Japan, there are likely to be many cloudy and rainy days, especially in areas on the Pacific coast. Please check the weather forecast frequently when planning your cherry blossom viewing.

From today to tomorrow, the weather is going downhill from the west - watch out for lightning and gusty winds in southern Kyushu

2026/03/22 12:38

Today, the 22nd (Sunday), the last day of the three-day weekend, rain will gradually spread over western Japan as a low pressure system and front approach from the west. In southern Kyushu, you need to be careful of lightning, gusts of wind, and sudden heavy rain.
In eastern Japan, clouds will become thicker in the afternoon, and rain is expected to fall on the Pacific side tomorrow, the 23rd (Monday).



Today, the 22nd (Sunday), a low pressure front will form in the East China Sea and is expected to pass near southern Kyushu through the night. After that, it is expected to move eastward south of Honshu until tomorrow, the 23rd (Monday).

In some places in southern Kyushu and the Shikoku region, it has already begun to rain.
After this, it will start raining over a wide area in the Kyushu region in the afternoon, and in the evening it will start raining in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, and in the evening it will start raining in the Kinki region.



As warm, humid air flows toward this low pressure system and front, atmospheric conditions are expected to become extremely unstable in southern Kyushu. There will be heavy rain with thunder in some places from the afternoon to the evening today, the 22nd (Sunday). Be careful of lightning, tornadoes, strong gusts of wind, and sudden heavy rain.

Cumulonimbus clouds are expected to form locally in the Satsuma and Osumi regions of Kagoshima Prefecture from late afternoon to early evening today, the 22nd (Sunday), and in the Tanegashima and Yakushima regions from late afternoon to late evening, with the risk of severe gusts such as lightning strikes and tornadoes. If there are signs that a cumulonimbus cloud is approaching, please take precautions such as moving inside a building.



Tomorrow, the 23rd (Monday), rain is expected to spread to the Tokai region by the time the date changes, and to the Kanto region by dawn. There may be some areas where you need an umbrella during commuting hours.

In western Japan, the area of rain will gradually become narrower, but on the Pacific side there will be some areas where rain will remain until the morning of the 23rd (Monday). In eastern Japan, the rain is expected to stop in many places by around noon tomorrow. Be careful not to leave your umbrella behind.