By HIDEMASA YOSHIZAWA/ Staff Writer
February 17, 2022 at 18:05 JST
Heavy machinery removes snow on Feb. 17 in the World Heritage-listed Shirakawa village in Gifu Prefecture, which features traditional steep-roofed houses. (Shuhei Yamashita)
Residents living along the Sea of Japan coast are advised to be on the alert for heavy snow through Feb. 18 due to a strong cold air mass and developing low-pressure system.
The Japan Meteorological Agency is forecasting that heavy snow will continue to fall in the region and other parts. It is calling on people to be vigilant against disruptions in transportation due to snow-covered and icy roads.
According to the JMA, Kami town in Hyogo Prefecture received 39 centimeters of snow during the six hours through 9 a.m. on Feb. 17, the most in the nation and also the most snowfall in the town.
Elsewhere, Nagaoka city in Niigata Prefecture recorded 32 cm, Mori town in Hokkaido marked 30 cm and Ono city in Fukui Prefecture logged 27 cm.
Accumulation of snow was observed even in lower elevations in western Japan where it seldom snows, such as in Hiroshima and Tokushima cities.
The weather agency forecast that heavy snow will continue falling primarily on the Sea of Japan side from eastern to western Japan through Feb. 18 due to the developing low-pressure system over the Sea of Japan.
Another contributing factor is the effect of the frigid air at minus 39 degrees Celsius or lower flowing into the northern and eastern parts of the country at a height of about 5,000 meters.
The snowfall forecast for 24 hours through 6 a.m. on Feb. 18 is up to 60 cm in the Hokuriku, Kanto-Koshin, Tokai and Kinki regions, and 50 cm in the Tohoku and Chugoku regions.
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