TOKYO, Dec 22 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s weather agency, yesterday warned that heavy snowfall could once again hit the Sea of Japan side, of northern to western Japan, in the coming days and has urged caution.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), areas along the Sea of Japan could be blanketed by another wave of heavy snow, that could lead to more snow and ice-related accidents in the wake of heavy snow already hitting Niigata Prefecture and southern Tohoku.
According to the JMA, heavy snow is expected along the Sea of Japan from this afternoon through Monday, with conditions in Niigata, Hokuriku and Tohoku likely to remain icy and snowy overnight.
The JMA said yesterday, 173 centimetres of snowfall was recorded at one location in Aomori Prefecture, 165 cm in Niigata and 126 cm in Yamagata, with accumulations of snow tripling the yearly average in some cases.
The weather agency and local officials in the hardest-hit regions are urging people to take extra caution on roads and at home, as some deaths have already been caused by people removing snow from rooftops and being trapped in cars, for example.
Authorities are asking people, especially the elderly, to take extra care, if it is absolutely necessary to shovel snow off rooftops or high structures, calling on them to work in pairs or groups where possible.
They said people should also be particularly vigilant for potentially lethal clumps of snow sliding off rooftops, and deadly icicles dropping from the underside of rooftops or other building coverings.
The weather agency said that, temperatures could be changeable and if the mercury rises in some areas, as the snow thaws, the risk of avalanches will become another potential hazard to be on the lookout for, particularly in mountainous regions.– NNN-NHK
