Weather officials are forecasting heavy snow in eastern and western Japan through Saturday mainly in mountainous areas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong cold air mass and a winter pressure pattern are bringing intensifying snow mainly along the Sea of Japan coast from eastern to western Japan.
Accumulated snowfall as of 5 a.m. on Friday had reached 2.66 meters in the Sukayu area of Aomori Prefecture and 1.38 meters in the Hijiori district of Okura Village in Yamagata Prefecture.
The Kinki and Chugoku regions may be affected by a Japan Sea polar air mass convergence zone, or JPCZ, with localized heavy snow.
Snowfall in the 24-hour period through Saturday morning in mountainous areas is expected to reach up to 70 centimeters in Niigata Prefecture, 60 centimeters in the Hokuriku and Kinki regions, 50 centimeters in the Chugoku region, 40 centimeters in the Kanto-Koshin region and 20 centimeters in the Shikoku region.
Weather officials say flatlands in the southern part of the Kanto region, including Tokyo’s 23 wards, could see a light snow accumulation through Saturday.
They warn accumulated snow and icy roads could affect traffic. They are calling on people to be on alert for avalanches, power outages caused by snow, as well as lightning strikes and gusty winds including tornadoes.
AloJapan.com