Arab News Japan
TOKYO: Snow fell in downtown Tokyo on Friday evening and was expected to continue falling into Saturday as the New Year holidays were set to end.
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that heavy snowwas likely in mountainous areas. It said a strong winter-type pressure pattern was had developed and snow was expected to accumulate in the Tokyo area and other parts of Japan.
Up to 10 cm of snow was forecast in mountainous areas and 4 cm in the non-mountainous areas near Tokyo.
Heavy snow is continuing to fall on the northern side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, with an additional 70 centimeters expected to fall by Saturday.
The agency said accumulated snow and wet roads were likely to freeze in some areas and there could be disruptions to public transportation at a very busy time of year. The new year holidays end on Sunday when many Japanese will return from their hometowns.
Up to 70 cm of new snow is expected in the Hokuriku region on the Japan Sea coast, which experiences some of the heaviest snowfalls in the world, as well as 60 cm in the Osaka region and 40 cm in the Nagoya region.
AloJapan.com