Heavy rainfall on Thursday led to widespread flooding across Chiba Prefecture, Japan, prompting the Japanese Meteorological Agency to issue the highest warning level for 18 cities and one municipality.

The El Niño phenomenon has officially developed in the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the first time since 2023, confirmed by the Japanese Meteorological Agency, signaling the potential for months of extreme weather events globally.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency announced that the beautiful sakura trees have begun to bloom.