🌧️ Ishikawa: Rain Warning Threshold Cut to 80% in Hakui

❓ What is changing?

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has confirmed levee breaches on some rivers in Ishikawa Prefecture caused by the heavy rain that began on August 27, 2026. In response, from September 8, 2026 and until further notice, JMA is applying "provisional criteria" to heavy-rain warnings for Hakui City, Ishikawa. Three products are affected: the Level 4 Heavy Rain Danger Warning (大雨危険警報), the Level 3 Heavy Rain Warning (大雨警報), and the Level 2 Heavy Rain Advisory (大雨注意報). What is being lowered is the "runoff index" (流域雨量指数) threshold — an index of how much rain falling upstream gathers into a river and flows downstream. Because that threshold drops to 80% of the normal value, warnings and advisories will now be issued at rainfall amounts that previously would not have triggered them. The reason: where levees have been breached or embankments damaged, flooding and inundation can occur with less rain than usual. Rather than a stricter rule for residents, this is a temporary adjustment that compensates for weakened riverbanks and raises the alert earlier. The Kikikuru real-time risk maps for flood and heavy rain also reflect the provisional criteria, so they remain usable for narrowing down which areas need to evacuate. JMA states the provisional criteria may be revised as it checks the condition of levees and embankments and studies the relationship between rainfall and disasters.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign residents living in Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture — the area directly covered by the provisional criteria
• ●People who work, commute, or attend school in or around Hakui City
• ●Travelers in the Noto / Hokuriku area staying near Hakui City
• ●Anyone living along rivers or in low-lying land in Ishikawa who follows heavy-rain information

🌏 Impact on foreign residents and visitors

For foreign residents in and around Hakui City, and for travelers in the Hokuriku region, this change means warnings will be issued earlier for the same amount of rain. Judging by past experience — "it's only an advisory, so I'm fine" or "no warning yet, so I don't need to move" — is now dangerous. Conversely, a warning does not mean panic: it means you have been given more time to prepare. Even if you cannot follow Japanese-language disaster broadcasts, JMA's Kikikuru risk maps show danger levels in five colors, so you can grasp the situation without understanding the language. Remember that evacuation orders themselves are issued by the municipality, not JMA — check both the JMA warning and announcements from Hakui City. Workplace and school closures, and planned suspensions of trains and buses, may also come earlier than before.