It’s been raining in Tokyo for more than a month now, breaking a record at least 150 years old

No one can say exactly when the last time Tokyo got this much rain was, but it was a long, long time ago.

These are dark days in east Japan. And no, I’m not talking about an early start to spooky Halloween imagery or phenomena like people being attacked by gangs of wrathfully violent monkeys, but the weather.

Specifically, these are dark and rainy days in east Japan. Right now, it’s raining in Tokyo. It rained yesterday too, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before…well, every day stretching back to August 27.

Yes, August 26 was the last day no rain was observed in the capital, meaning it’s been raining in Tokyo for 34 days in a row. This isn’t anywhere near normal. 34 days it the longest rainy streak for Tokyo in at least 150 years. Why “at least?” Because the government only started collecting official statistics of this type in 1876, so it’s possible that this is the first time in history for Tokyo to experience such persistent precipitation.

▼ The most recent ruler of Japan to have potentially seen this much rain in Tokyo was Emperor Meiji, and boy would it have messed with his epaulettes.

The current conditions break the previous record of 33 days of rain between June 27 and July 29 of 2019, and the gap is almost certain to get wider, as more rain is forecast for September 30.

Tokyo, like much of Japan, usually gets its heaviest rains in the summer, with the country’s rainy season typically taking place in late June/early July. It’s not unusual for typhoons to occur in August and early September, but there’s usually at least some respite of clear skies between storms. East Japan in particular can usually expect breaks from the rain at this time of year, since storms usually tend to form out at sea and come up from the southwest corner of the country, losing strength as they pass over Japan’s main island of Honshu, which Tokyo is located near the eastern end of. That’s not how things have played out this year, though. Typhoons 24 and 25 (also known as Toprical Storm Krovanh and Typhoon Dujuan), both remained near Japan with enough strength to sustain lingering wet weather throughout September, and while Typhoon 26 doesn’t look like it’s going to pass directly over Japanese soil, its associated rain front has still shown up to say hi to the country this week.

It’s worth noting that while Tokyo has had observed rain for 34 days in a row and counting, that doesn’t mean unceasing rainfall across the entire city. Still, this isn’t just a collection of scattered quick cloudbursts followed by clear skies, as meteorologists say that in 2026 Tokyo has only gotten about 40 percent of the amount of sunlight it would in a typical September.

Thankfully, it looks like there’s a light at the end of the dark and dreary tunnel, as current forecasts say Tokyo will be sunny with some late afternoon clouds on October 1. That’s assuming, though, that Typhoon 26 doesn’t decide to swerve closer to Tokyo as it heads east.

Source: Waether News (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Wikipedia/Adece033090
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