Probability and Points to Note for Level 3 Warnings

Few people probably remember that there were once only two types of weather warnings; please note that this is not intended to stir up generational differences. In the August Reiwa 8 Chiba heavy rain, a Level 5 Special Warning was issued over a vast area from Ichikawa City to the entire Chiba City area and the surroundings of Kashiwa City. The next day, Level 5 warnings were also issued in Ishikawa, Toyama, and Fukui Prefectures, and numerous Level 4 Danger Warnings followed in other regions. Originally, Level 5 is a major disaster that occurs once every 10 years, and the issuance of a Level 5 warning is reasonable considering the observed scale of damage. On the other hand, misunderstandings that Level 4 is safe, or even that Level 3 is okay, are also a concern. Level 3 corresponds to the warning in the sense of the former maximum alert. It is necessary to recognize anew that the issuance of this itself is unusual. Considering that it is a precursor to higher-level danger warnings or special warnings, it would be advisable to be aware that the issuance of Level 3 could mean a potential escalation to Level 4. Changes in awareness do not happen overnight. Although heavy rain continues at present, please pay attention to weather warnings and advisories again. It is also necessary to utilize weather radar and make efforts to quickly obtain information about when it will rain at your current location in the coming hours.