By TAKUYA MIYANO/ Staff Writer
December 22, 2022 at 14:04 JST
Vehicles are seen stranded on an expressway in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on Dec. 20. (Ikuro Aiba)
Weather officials are warning that severe snowstorms expected from Dec. 22 from northern to western Japan could bring more snow and last longer than the previous heavy snowfall that started in some of those regions on Dec. 17.
Snow will likely fall mainly in areas on the Sea of Japan side and along the mountains on the Pacific Ocean side from Dec. 22 to Dec. 26 due to a strong winter pressure pattern, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Snow could even pile up on low-lying areas facing the Pacific Ocean, they added.
“Stronger cold air will flow in from Dec. 22 and that will bring heavy snow across wide areas,” said Hiro Kato, head of the JMA’s weather monitoring and warning center. “Such heavy snow will also last longer than the previous snowstorm.”
The agency is calling for the public in those areas to refrain from nonessential outings in the event of heavy snowfall.
The JMA and the transport ministry made an emergency announcement of heavy snow on Dec. 21. They are urging the public to be vigilant for icy roads and install snow tires for driving in treacherous conditions.
Officials said that a heavy snow warning will likely be in effect from Hokkaido to northern Kyushu from Dec. 22 to Dec. 25.
Shimane Prefecture will highly likely be blanketed with snow from the evening of Dec. 22, they said.
“We are more cautious than with the previous snowstorm,” Kato said.
Seventy to 90 centimeters of snow is expected to fall in the Hokuriku region over the 24 hours through 6 p.m. on Dec. 23, according to the JMA.
The JMA is forecasting 50 to 70 cm of snowfall in Chugoku, 40 to 60 cm in Tokai, 30 to 50 cm in Tohoku and Kinki, 20 to 40 cm in Hokkaido, Shikoku and northern Kyushu and 10 to 20 cm in the Kanto-Koshin and southern Kyushu regions.
Roughly the same or even more snow is predicted over the next 24-hour period.
Officials are warning of avalanches in areas where snow has already accumulated.
Heavy snowfall from Dec. 17 disrupted traffic in Niigata Prefecture, with hundreds of drivers left stranded on snow-packed roads for hours.
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