TOKYO, March 2 1 (Reuters) - Light
northwesterly winds and
rains are forecast for the area around quake-stricken nuclear reactors on the northeast coast of Japan,
the weather agency said on Monday .
The weather is important in gauging the likelihood of light levels of radiation leaking from the plant reaching heavily populated areas, especially Tokyo to the south, or entering the food chain.
So far the wind has blown mainly out into the Pacific.
The damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), is about 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
The northwesterlies are expected to change to light southeasterlies towards Tuesday,
according to the forecast.
Some 10mm - 2 0 mm of rain is forecast over the next 24 hours.
Three hundred engineers have been battling inside the danger zone to try to cool down the reactors which were ravaged by the quake and tsunami on March 11.
Officially, at least 8,450 people were killed, with 12,931 more missing.
But police said on Sunday they feared more than 15,000 people had been killed in the one prefecture of Miyagi alone.
The wind near the plant will blow as fast as
three metres ( 10 ft) per second, the Meteorological Agency in Fukushima prefecture said.
On Saturday, traces of radiation exceeding national safety standards were found in milk from a farm about 30 km (18 miles) from the plant and in spinach grown in neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture, the first discovery of contaminated food since the disaster.
Tiny levels of radioactive iodine have also been found in tap water in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities. Radiation has also been found in dust in the greater city area.
Many tourists and expatriates have already left and residents are generally staying indoors.
(Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) Keywords: JAPAN/WIND (Reuters Messaging: jeremy.laurence.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
northwesterly winds and
rains are forecast for the area around quake-stricken nuclear reactors on the northeast coast of Japan,
the weather agency said on Monday .
The weather is important in gauging the likelihood of light levels of radiation leaking from the plant reaching heavily populated areas, especially Tokyo to the south, or entering the food chain.
So far the wind has blown mainly out into the Pacific.
The damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), is about 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
The northwesterlies are expected to change to light southeasterlies towards Tuesday,
according to the forecast.
Some 10mm - 2 0 mm of rain is forecast over the next 24 hours.
Three hundred engineers have been battling inside the danger zone to try to cool down the reactors which were ravaged by the quake and tsunami on March 11.
Officially, at least 8,450 people were killed, with 12,931 more missing.
But police said on Sunday they feared more than 15,000 people had been killed in the one prefecture of Miyagi alone.
The wind near the plant will blow as fast as
three metres ( 10 ft) per second, the Meteorological Agency in Fukushima prefecture said.
On Saturday, traces of radiation exceeding national safety standards were found in milk from a farm about 30 km (18 miles) from the plant and in spinach grown in neighbouring Ibaraki prefecture, the first discovery of contaminated food since the disaster.
Tiny levels of radioactive iodine have also been found in tap water in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities. Radiation has also been found in dust in the greater city area.
Many tourists and expatriates have already left and residents are generally staying indoors.
(Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) Keywords: JAPAN/WIND (Reuters Messaging: jeremy.laurence.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.