Photo/Illutration A resident clears a path after a heavy snowfall in Gujo, Gifu Prefecture, on Jan. 9. (Shigetaka Kodama)

The Japan Meteorological Agency is calling for precautions as snow is expected to continue falling through Jan. 10 from northern to western Japan mainly on the Sea of Japan side.

A strong winter pressure pattern could lead to heavy snowfalls over a wide area, including the plains, that might disrupt traffic, cut power and topple trees, the agency said.

According to the JMA, as of noon on Jan. 9, 379 centimeters of snow had accumulated in the Sukayu district of Aomori.

In Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, 182 cm of snow had accumulated, while the snow was 175 cm deep in Okura village in Yamagata Prefecture.

The JMA has forecast 80 cm of snow in the Hokuriku region over 24 hours until noon on Jan. 10, 70 cm in the Tohoku, Tokai and Chugoku regions, and 60 cm in Hokkaido and the Kinki region.

If the winter pressure pattern and cold air front become stronger than expected, there is a possibility that warning-grade heavy snowfalls and high ocean waves could spread to wider regions, the JMA said.

In Gero, Gifu Prefecture, a 73-year-old man was run over and killed by a passenger car that slid backward down a slope at around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.

“My car stopped uphill in the snow, and a pedestrian was pushing the vehicle when it slid down,” police quoted the driver, 48, as saying.

The accident occurred on a 3.4-meter-wide city street covered with about 10 cm of snow, police said.

The elderly man died of asphyxiation due to chest compression, police said, adding that they are investigating details of the accident.

(This article was compiled from reports by Motonobu Fukuzumi and Tomomi Terasawa.)

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