FUKUOKA -- Linear precipitation bands could form over the southwestern Japan prefectures of Nagasaki and Saga from early afternoon to evening on July 18, increasing the risk of heavy rain disasters, the Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory has warned.

In the northern Kyushu region, warm and humid air is flowing in, making the atmosphere extremely unstable.

The expected hourly rainfall in the northern Kyushu region is expected to reach up to 50 millimeters in Nagasaki and Saga prefectures. Over the 24 hours from 6 a.m. on July 18, rainfall could reach up to 180 millimeters in Nagasaki Prefecture and 150 millimeters in Saga Prefecture in the heaviest-hit areas, weather officials said.

(Japanese original by Naoko Takashiba, Fukuoka Cultural News Department)