【Experience of a sudden downpour】Encountering a sudden downpour, hail, and landslides at an altitude of over 1600m! What should you do in such situations?

While covering a drive spot, I encountered a sudden downpour on the mountain pass near the summit of almost 1600m. With the sound of thunder, I reflected on what I could have done on the torrential mountain road.

Sudden Weather Change! Experience of Heavy Rain in the Summer Mountains

On the day of the interview, the morning was filled with blue skies and a refreshing summer day. However, by the afternoon, the weather near the summit changed drastically, and in the blink of an eye, we were surrounded by dark clouds, transforming the atmosphere into something ominous. The mechanism that causes sudden weather changes in the mountains is said to be due to moist winds hitting the mountains, turning into rising currents, which then cool and form rain clouds high above. This time, I was to personally experience that terror.

When the rain began in earnest, I was still near the summit, and the sound of thunder was more frightening than the rain itself. I thought it necessary to move to a different location. However, there are few places to wait out the storm in the mountains, and I was also worried about the possibility of becoming isolated if the roadblocks I had passed previously were closed. Anyway, I decided to consider the shortest route to reach level ground.

Source: NTT DoCoMo.

At the time of encountering the guerrilla thunderstorm, I was at the location marked with a pin on the above map. Being at a high altitude, there was no mobile signal in the vicinity, and I had no way to access information about my surroundings or the current weather map.

The only thing I could determine was my current location via GPS, which I used as a basis for deciding my route. I realized that if I became isolated on the mountain trail, I would have no choice but to descend on my own unless someone came to help.

Hurry down the mountain! However, there is also a landslide on the slope.

I knew it was a temporary downpour, but since I didn't know where to find a place to wait it out, I hurried on anyway. The visibility was poor and I couldn't see the road conditions, so I drove, thinking it was dangerous not to notice the bumps and dips.

Moreover, hail has started to fall, making a hard noise as it hits the window glass. I'm glad it’s small, but it's frightening to think what would happen if large hail were to come pouring down and break through the window glass.

There were areas where the slope had collapsed due to heavy rain. It was fortunate that there was just barely enough width to pass through; if this had been blocked, we would have had to turn back. Although this is not limited to heavy rain, there is also a possibility of debris falling directly onto cars, which increases the danger in these situations.

In the end, we were able to descend to the base in about 20 minutes without suffering any damage. There is also the possibility that if we had waited, we could have seen a clear sky from the top of the mountain.

This time's point of reflection: I might have been better off not rushing down the mountain

The biggest reflection this time is that I particularly didn't pay attention to the probability of thunderstorms when I checked the weather forecast. I had confirmed that the chance was around 40% in the afternoon, but I only thought that I hoped it wouldn’t rain while I was filming. Given that I went to a mountain trail with few people and many dangers, I think I should have considered the schedule more carefully.

Additionally, I believe that hastily rushing down the mountain was a behavior that increased the risks. Since I understood it was a temporary downpour, I should have looked for a nearby place to stop. However, due to the lack of signal, I couldn't find a nearby place to wait out the storm, so it might be a good idea to have safe stopping spots in mind beforehand.

Recently, I have been going to mountain trails frequently, and my awareness of the dangers of mountain paths had decreased, but this experience made it clear that I need to tighten my focus. Everyone, please take the time to reflect on the dangers of summer driving again.

Interview and text / Kazuma Tanaka

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