The Japan Meteorological Agency said “warm, humid air caused thunderstorms in western Japan” due in part to Kong-rey being downgraded into an extratropical low pressure system due to the typhoon.

The city of Matsuyama “issued the high-level warning urging 189,552 residents in 10 precincts to evacuate and ensure safety immediately,” a city official told AFP.

Although evacuations are not mandatory, Japan’s highest-level warning is usually issued when it is extremely likely that some type of disaster has occurred.

Forecasters warned that landslides and floods could affect western Japan on Saturday and eastern Japan on Sunday.

Due to rain, Shinkansen bullet trains were briefly stopped between Tokyo and the southern Fukuoka prefecture in the morning and then restarted on a delayed schedule.

Kong-rey hit Taiwan on Thursday, becoming one of the biggest storms to hit the island in decades.

At least three people were killed and 690 injured in the blaze, which added one migrant worker death to Saturday’s death toll, according to the National Fire Service.

The storm knocked out power to 957,061 households, 27,781 of which were still in the dark as of Saturday.

Scientists say that human-induced climate change increases the risk of heavy rainfall because the warm atmosphere holds more water.

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