By KATSUMOTO HORIKAWA/ Staff Writer
February 10, 2023 at 19:12 JST
Snow disrupted trains, domestic flights and other transportation around Japan on Feb. 10 and led to a rare heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo.
The snow is expected to gradually change to rain on the night of Feb. 10 mainly in coastal areas.
But in mountains and surrounding areas, the snow is forecast to continue overnight, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The JMA said a low-pressure system moving over the southern coast of the main Honshu island could bring heavy snow to the Kanto-Koshin region and the Pacific side of the southern part of the Tohoku region through Feb. 11.
The JMA said if temperatures drop lower than expected, it could issue heavy snowfall warnings over a wide area.
The Koshin region and northern mountainous areas of the Kanto region could receive up to 40 centimeters of snow over the 24-hour period to 6 a.m. on Feb. 11, the JMA said.
The agency also forecast up to 25 cm in low-lying areas in northern Kanto, and 20 cm in areas from Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, to Tama in western Tokyo and Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture.
Up to 10 cm could fall in low-lying areas of southern Kanto, as well as 5 cm in Tokyo’s 23 wards, the JMA said.
The JMA issued heavy snowfall warnings for Tokyo, excluding islands under its jurisdiction, and southern Saitama Prefecture on the morning of Feb. 10. It was the first such warning for Tokyo’s 23 wards since Jan. 6, 2022.
The warning for central Tokyo was downgraded to an advisory at 1:48 p.m.
In northern Japan, Yamagata Shinkansen Line operations were shut down on Feb. 10.
The last bullet train bound for Shinjo in Yamagata Prefecture departed from Fukushima Station at 3:35 p.m., while the last one for Yamagata city left Fukushima at 5:35 p.m.
The last Shinkansen for Tokyo departed from Yamagata Station at 5:05 p.m.
Odakyu Electric Railway Co. suspended operations of its limited express Romancecar service from Tokyo’s Shinjuku to Katase-Enoshima and Hakone stations in Kanagawa Prefecture after 3 p.m. on Feb. 10.
All Nippon Airways Co. canceled 18 domestic flights due to snowfall and strong winds, while Japan Airlines Co. grounded 32 domestic flights.
The transport ministry has urged people to avoid nonessential outings and companies to allow remote work.
It also called on motorists to install winter tires on their vehicles to navigate potentially icy roads.
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People shield themselves from the snow in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward on the morning of Feb. 10. (Nobuo Fujiwara)
