Tropical Storm Maria hit northern Japan today with the equivalent of two months of rain in 24 hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Classed as a "severe tropical storm", one level below the "typhoon" category, Maria hit the coast at around 08:30 (00:30 in Lisbon) near the town of Ofunato, in the Iwate region, north-east of Honshu, the archipelago's largest island, it added.
Local authorities reported no injuries, but advised 315,000 residents to leave the area, while around 2,000 people spent the night in shelters.
"Residents of the affected region are advised to watch out for landslides, river overflows and flooding in low-lying areas," the agency warned.
The storm has already led to the cancellation of several flights in northern Japan.
Japan Airlines said it had cancelled 78 domestic flights, affecting 7,039 passengers. Japanese carrier ANA was forced to cancel eight flights, reports public broadcaster NHK.
Regional rail links were also disrupted, but the high-speed train continued to run.
Storm Maria was accompanied by winds with gusts of 126 kilometers per hour (km/h). It is now moving north-west at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour and is expected to hit the Sea of Japan this evening (local time).
The average total rainfall in the region in August was 177.9 millimeters. However, 362 millimeters of rain have already fallen in the city of Kuji (north-eastern Honshu), the highest level since the JMA first recorded rainfall in 1978.
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