Typhoon Lionrock

The system that was to become Typhoon Lionrock was first noted as a subtropical disturbance on August 15, while it was located about to the west of Wake Island. At this time the disturbance had a broad and poorly organized low level circulation centre, which had some shallow bands of atmospheric convection wrapping loosely around it. The depression was subsequently classified as subtropical by the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center during August 17, as its structure was asymmetric, with deep convection displaced to the north and east of the system's low level circulation centre. Lionrock entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on August 25, 2016, and PAGASA assigned Dindo as the local name for Lionrock. On August 29, Lionrock turned towards the northwest due to a high pressure system located east of Japan, putting it on an unprecedented path towards the northeastern region of the country. Right before weakening into a severe tropical storm at 18:00 JST (09:00 UTC) on August 30, Lionrock made landfall near Ōfunato, a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan with winds of . This makes Lionrock the first tropical cyclone to make landfall over the Pacific coast of the Tōhoku region of Japan since the Japan Meteorological Agency began record-keeping in 1951. Lionrock's track was unusual due to the fact that the storm approached Japan from the southeast and made landfall along the east coast of the country. Most typhoons that hit Japan approach from the south or the southwest before moving northward across the archipelago. In fact, the only other storm to take a similar track was Typhoon Mac in 1989, which also approached from the southeast and struck Japan's Kantō region along its east coast. ==Preparations==

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzō Abe left a Japan-African development conference in Nairobi, Kenya early due to the threat of flight cancellations caused by the typhoon. Prior to Lionrock making landfall, a total of 100 flights were cancelled at airports in Tohoku and Hokkaido. Efforts were made to protect the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from further damage, as it had been severely incapacitated following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The amount of water being pumped at the facility was increased in order to minimize the risk of floods, and crane operations were suspended due to the threat of strong winds. In eastern Russia, a storm warning was announced on 28 August by EMERCOM. All emergency services and troops were on high alert. Local authorities were informed on emergency procedures. North Korea's Early Warning and Evacuation system was activated ahead of the storm, causing 44,000 people in flood-prone areas to be evacuated in North Hamgyong Province. ==Impact==

Japan on August 30 Upon making landfall on August 30, Lionrock brought very heavy rainfall, including at Mount Nukabira, in Hokkaidō Prefecture, and in Orito in Iwate Prefecture. In addition, a maximum wind gust of was recorded in Ishinomaki, and a wind gust was measured in Onagawa. Nine people drowned in a nursing home in Iwaizumi after a river burst its banks. In addition, there were at least three fatalities on the northern Japanese island Hokkaidō. Damage due to flooding were standing at JP¥282 billion (US$2.74 billion). Russia On 31 August, the storm hit Primorsky Krai. Heavy rainfall caused floods in several areas with 300 houses flooded in rural areas. Local rivers overflowed, several bridges were destroyed or damaged and several highways were affected by floods. A dam failure along the Pavlovka river caused floods in the Shumny and Antonovka villages. More than 1,000 inhabitants were evacuated and several evacuation camps were established in all affected areas, mostly in schools. The storm also caused power disruptions. 12,000 rescue workers were also deployed in the area. The southern part of the Sakhalin was also affected. Several cars were struck by fallen trees and electricity was shut down in some houses. Heavy rain flooded Makarovsky and caused a landslide which blocked a highway and a railway. Two trains on the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Nogliki line were cancelled and one of them, No. 604, was stopped in Poronaysk. In Vakhrushev, one of the cargo trains derailed. Hours later, the incident was fixed and its operations returned to normal. However, one fatality was reported during the incident. In addition, two EMERCOM officers (the chief of the Primorsky Krai department and his driver) died when their KAMAZ truck fell into the Pavlovka River. Lionrock was the worst typhoon to hit the Primorsky Krai region in 40 years, with total damage exceeds ₽7 billion (US$107 million). China A total of of agricultural land were impacted in China, including of crops which were destroyed due to floods. Damages in China are estimated to be CN¥7.21 billion (US$1.08 billion); most of which was inflicted on the agricultural sector. North Korea and Russia on August 31 Lionrock interacted with a low pressure area over China to drop heavy rainfall in North Korea, mostly in North Hamgyong Province, Over a two-day period, Kyonghung County recorded of rainfall. This caused flooding along the Tumen River and its tributaries, of which were wrecked. Over 35,500 houses were damaged, of which around 25,000 were destroyed, forcing 107,000 people from their homes; many of these people sheltered on higher grounds or in public buildings. In Hoeryong city, over 104,000 people lost access to clean water during the floods, and nationwide about 600,000 people were affected by water cuts. Musan and Yonsa counties were unreachable and had little communications, resulting in the slow spread of information on the disaster. The floods related to Lionrock killed at least 525 people in the country. About 1,000 volunteers from the country's Red Cross chapter helped local workers in search and rescue missions. The agency had relief supplies for about 20,000 people, including tarpaulins, tents, kitchen sets, and water purification tablets. The government, which rarely releases information on disasters in the country, requested for aid from the international community, just days after a nuclear weapons test that led to calls for increased sanctions. ==See also==