Tokyo, Jan 4 Japan's weather agency said Saturday that heavy snow had hit the mountainous areas on the Sea of Japan side of northern to western Japan, urging people returning from their new year holidays to brace for traffic disruptions.
In the six hours up to 6 am local time on Saturday, 17 centimetres of snow had piled up in Itoigawa City in Niigata Prefecture and 14 centimetres in Chippubestu Town in Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
As of 6 am local time, 392 centimetres had piled up in Sukayu in the Hakkoda mountain range in Aomori Prefecture, double the average amount for this time of year, while Goshogawara City in the same prefecture saw 107 centimetres, more than triple the average, said the JMA.
In the 24 hours through Sunday morning, 40 centimetres of snow is expected in Hokkaido and 30 centimetres in the Tohoku region, Xinhua news agency quoted the JMA as saying.
On Friday, the agency had warned that heavy snow is expected to hit northern and eastern Japan through Saturday, mainly in mountainous areas along the Sea of Japan coast, due to a winter pressure pattern and a cold air mass.
According to the country's weather agency, the estimated 24-hour snowfall through Saturday morning was expected to be up to 50 centimetres in the Tohoku region, 40 centimetres in the Hokkaido and Niigata prefectures, 35 centimetres in the Kanto-Koshin region and 30 centimetres in the Hokuriku and Tokai regions.
Weather officials had called on people to prepare for traffic disruptions, while urging caution against snow that accumulates on power cables and trees, as well as avalanches in snow-covered areas.
Winds could intensify along the Sea of Japan coast from northern to western Japan through Sunday, with possible blizzards in some areas, the JMA added.
Heavy snow had blanketed northern Japan on Tuesday, forcing dozens of flight cancellations as many people were traveling for the New Year holidays.
Japan Airlines said it canceled 42 flights to and from the northernmost island of Hokkaido, affecting 6,398 passengers, while All Nippon Airways scrapped 14 flights, affecting 800 passengers.
Earlier, the average temperature across Japan from September to November in 2024 was the highest since records began in 1898.
The nationwide autumn average was 1.97 degrees Celsius above the normal baseline, breaking the previous record set last year by a significant margin of 0.58 degrees, the data showed.
The JMA had attributed the record-breaking warmth to the effects of global warming and a northward shift in the jet stream, which allowed warm southern air to dominate.
--IANS
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