Video footage taken on Feb. 5 in Tokyo’s Kita, Taito and Chuo wards shows people walking through the snow. (Video taken by Takuya Yamazaki and Yoshihiro Yasutomi)

Photo/Illutration Snow accumulates near Koenji Station in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward on the morning of Feb. 6. (Kazuyuki Ito)

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of icy roads and traffic disruptions in the Kanto-Koshin region as rain and snow are expected to continue on Feb. 6 due to a low-pressure trough and cold air.

The low-pressure system passing over the southern coast of the main island of Honshu brought heavy snow mainly to the region on the night of Feb. 5.

Three people in Yamanashi Prefecture and one person in Tochigi Prefecture sustained minor injuries while clearing snow, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

In Tokyo, 120 people were taken to hospital due to falls and other injuries caused by the snow, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.

As of 9 a.m. on Feb. 6, the following snowfall amounts were observed: 9 centimeters in downtown Tokyo; 27 cm in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture; 4 cm in Yokohama; 26 cm in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture; 29 cm in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture; 34 cm in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture; and 46 cm in Iiyama, Nagano Prefecture.

Thunderstorms occurred in the central Tokyo area at around 10 p.m. on Feb. 5.

The thunder is believed to have been caused by a collision of warm air drawn in from the south by the low-pressure system and cold air from the north that brought the snow, according to the JMA.

While thunder and snow often simultaneously occur in the Hokuriku region, it is rare for them to occur in the Kanto region.

All heavy snow warnings issued for nine prefectures, including the 23 wards of Tokyo, were lifted by the early morning of Feb. 6.

Forecasters predict the total snowfall in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Feb. 7 will reach 5 cm in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Tama and Chichibu areas and the mountainous areas of the northern Kanto region; 3 cm in the northern Kanto region plains; 1 cm in the southern Kanto region plains; and 10 cm in the Koshin region.

DELAYS, DISRUPTIONS

The heavy snow has also had an impact on transportation.

Due to fallen trees and other accidents, 223 trains were canceled or delayed on Feb. 5, according to East Japan Railway Co. (JR East).

In Yamanashi Prefecture, about 1,600 passengers on four express trains were forced to spend the night on trains.

The trains “Kaiji” and “Azusa” stalled at Otsuki Station and Kobuchizawa Station for more than eight hours, at the longest.

Train services were also suspended in some areas on JR’s Chuo and Yokohama lines on Feb. 6.

Due to the disruptions, universities including Gakushuin University and Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences have postponed the start of their entrance exams by one hour.

There have also been a number of flight cancellations at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and highway closures are continuing across a wide area.

East Nippon Expressway Co. closed more than 10 routes, including the Kan-etsu Expressway and Tohoku Expressway.

This is the first time that a large-scale preventive road closure has been implemented in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

“There are still many vehicles in the metropolitan area that are not equipped with snow tires,” said a company spokesperson. “We made the decision in advance to prevent them from getting stuck.”

The road closures are expected to be lifted by the evening of Feb. 6, except in some sections.

(This article was compiled from reports by staff writers Ryo Oyama, Yuichiro Yoneda, Natsuki Edogawa and Jumpei Miura.)

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