The Tokyo area’s 21-day stretch of rainfall that began Aug. 1 ended Tuesday, the second-longest wet streak logged for the month of August.

According to the Meteorological Agency, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 21, Tokyo experienced 131.5 milliliters of rain, with the average for the time period being 107.8 milliliters. The number of sunlight hours was 40.1 compared to an average of 117.9.

High atmospheric pressure covering the eastern regions of the country is credited with clearing up the skies above the capital. August’s unusual weather was brought about by strong cold winds flowing into the Tohoku and Kanto regions, with the Okhotsk high pressure system in the northeast of Hokkaido coming in stronger than is normal, the agency said.

The longest record number of days with rain for the month of August is 22 days, recorded in 1977.

The unusually long rain spell affected a number of businesses dependent on sunny days.

Toshimaen, an amusement facility with pools in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, saw a 30 percent decline in visitors to 70,000 between Aug. 1 to 16 compared to the previous year, while beer garden operators said they have also seen a dwindling number of customers.

KEYWORDS Tokyo, August, rains