ANALYSIS OF DEBRIS FLOW DISASTER DUE TO HEAVY RAIN BY X-BAND MP RADAR DATA

Abstract. On August 20 of 2014, Hiroshima City (Japan) was struck by local heavy rain from an autumnal rain front. The resultant debris flow disaster claimed 75 victims and destroyed many buildings. From 1:30 am to 4:30 am on August 20, the accumulated rainfall in Hiroshima City exceeded 200 mm. Serious damage occurred in the Asakita and Asaminami wards of Hiroshima City. As a disaster prevention measure, local heavy rain (localized torrential rains) is usually observed by the Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and by the C-band radar operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan, with spatial resolutions of 2.5 km and 1 km, respectively. The new X-band MP radar system enables more detailed rainfall observations than the C-band radar. In fact, this radar can observe local rainfall throughout Japan in near-real time over a minimum mesh size of 250 m. A fine-scale accumulated rainfall monitoring system is crucial for disaster prevention, and potential disasters can be alerted by the hazard levels of the accumulated rainfall.