Weather officials say heavy rains are expected in the southern region of Kyushu through Tuesday. They also warn of downpours in northern Japan over the coming weekend as the seasonal rain front moves northward.

The Meteorological Agency says the front in the country's south is expected to gradually move northward, bringing heavy rains in the Kyushu region through Tuesday.

The seasonal rain front is likely to move further north due to a Pacific high-pressure system extending toward Japan.

Weather officials say the front will possibly linger along the Sea of Japan coast around the weekend, with rainfall likely to intensify in northern Japan.

The agency had forecast the rainy season would start earlier than average this year. But the rain front remained stationary due to a cold air mass stalled over wide areas.

As a result, the rainy season began later than usual in many areas. Some areas saw the season start more than 30 days later than last year.

The officials are warning against the possibility of substantial downpours that could be caused by large amounts of moist air flowing into the rain front. The agency says the frequency of localized torrential rain in June and July has nearly quadrupled over the past 45 years.

The officials are urging people to prepare for disaster-level heavy rains, which are often seen near the end of the rainy season.