Thankfully, it’s fairly cool in Kumamoto today but we certainly have gone through a long, hard spell of heat and humidity. Actually, when it comes to the combination of heat and humidity, the tenki.jp weather site
http://www.tenki.jp/labo/vol_6
says that Kumamoto is the worst prefecture in Japan. This site has it’s own index for “jimenatsubi” (ジメ暑日; uncomfortably hot and sticky days). The exact formula is unclear but they say that a temperature of 32 C (about 90 F) and humidity of 74% produces a “jimenatsu” (hot and sticky) rating of 85 and that a rating of 85 or higher makes that day a “jimenatsubi.” Unfortunately, Kumamoto has more such days (25.9, on average) than any other prefecture in Japan. Here’s the top five:
1 Kumamoto, 25.9 days 2 Kagoshima, 25.8 3 Nara, 25.7 3 Kochi, 24.8 5 Saga, 24.7
So, enjoy the cool weather while it lasts!
– Kirk
P.S. Kumamoto is not the most humid place in Japan:
http://grading.jpn.org/SRB02201.html
It’s the combination of heat and humidity that makes it special.
To see today’s humidity data (in Japanese, unfortunately) go to