Tuesday, May 13, 2008

An Early Start to Tsuyu?

Tsuyu is rainy season, which runs from some time in late May til the end of June, usually. This is the time that most Japanese people find the most uncomfortable. It's cloudy and rainy pretty much every day but that doesn't stop the summer temperatures soaring. This means humidity (湿度, しつど, shitsudo)! Good old humidity.

From May 10 this year the rain started. I'm not sure if this will continue until July but there's a good chance it will. Thankfully, the temperature has dipped now. Last week it was in the mid-20s but today it's only 12C. What a difference! My hands were actually cold when I walked to work this afternoon, I haven't experienced cold hands since February!

I've checked the forecast for the next ten days and it's still cloudy and rainy but the temperature should rise back to 22C.

I wonder if everything has shifted forward a bit climate-wise because cherry blossom season was early this year too, and now the rains have arrived earlier than expected. Global warming anyone?

After rainy season, the level of humidity should drop (but not by much) and the heat will rise to 30C as an average for Tokyo. Some people I have asked have likened summer in Tokyo to being in a sauna. Lovely!

It's strange that I feel comfortable when I step outside into grey drizzle. I think it must be because I'm British. You like what you're familiar with!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think that was just a couple of rainy days added on to the typhoon that went up the east coast on Monday and Tuesday. It was a bit miserable, wasn't it, I was so pleased to see the sun today. Tsuyu is a few weeks away yet and it will be a lot more humid by then- if you have anything like post cards stuck to your wall, you will see them all start to curl up and fall off...

Unknown said...

Actually they say that tsuyu will start early this year- the earliest start in about 30 years, so you were right! The funny thing is though, the weather for the first week or so after tsuyu starts is often nicer than the weather before the "official start"! By July though it's usually getting very humid and seems to be always cloudy.

You'll be glad you don't have to wear your Gaba suit any more in July!