On 4 July 2020, heavy rain caused flooding in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. At 5 AM local time (UTC+9) the Japan Meteorological Agency raised its heavy rain warning to its highest level of 3 in many parts of the prefectures, the first time it has ever done so for these areas.[1] The Japan Meteorological Agency stated the amount of rain was record breaking for the region and was never seen before.[2] The rate of rainfall exceeded 100 millimeters (3.9 in) per hour.[5]