size, especially in the eastern semicircle. After becoming a typhoon, Rita accelerated gradually in a north-northeasterly direction as a shortwave trough approached. Around this time, Rita became the second of seven tropical cyclones that season to be observed by Japanese radar. Midday on August 21, the typhoon reached its peak intensity, with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . That evening, the typhoon weakened slightly before making landfall west of Osaka, with winds of . At the time of landfall, Rita exhibited a wide eye. Quickly crossing central Honshu, Rita veered slightly northward and accelerated to speeds of ahead of an advancing cold front in the Sea of Japan. First tracking along the western coast, Rita crossed the northern portion of Honshu before emerging back into the Pacific. At 00:00 UTC on August 23, Rita was downgraded to a tropical storm, and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone 24 hours later, after merging with a frontal zone south of Hokkaido. However, its remnants were tracked through August 25. Impact Prior to the arrival of Rita, thousands of people were evacuated, including 16,000 from four coastal villages. Early on August 20, a minimum pressure of was observed at Kadena Air Base, although winds were comparatively light with a peak gust of at 05:14 UTC. Prior to landfall, Rita's large eye moved directly over Murotomisaki, where sustained winds of along with a minimum pressure of were measured. The storm lashed the southern coast of Honshu with heavy rains and strong wind, with wind gusts near recorded at Yokota Air Base between 03:00 and 04:00 on August 23. Many locations across the country received at least of precipitation, with falling in Osaka City during a 13-hour time period. Along west facing beaches, a storm surge of up to was recorded. Heavy rains caused landslides and flash flooding, which were responsible for extensive crop and property damage. Throughout the island of Shikoku, 14 people were killed. In Mishima, two landslides claimed a total of four lives. Another landslide in Tsukude killed a 53-year-old man, a 78-year-old women, and a 14-year-old girl. Hokkaido suffered the most severe flooding in 10 years. Several major rivers on the island overflowed their banks, leaving towns inundated and isolated. Around 1,200 residents in Tsukigata were evacuated after a nearby river overflowed its banks. Combined with Typhoon Phyllis, the two storms contributed to the majority of tropical cyclone casualties