First Winds Signaling Approach of Spring Sweep Across Kanto Region

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:59 JST, March 2, 2023

The first strong southern winds that signal the approach of spring swept over the Kanto region on Wednesday, The Japan Meteorological Agency announced Thursday.

The agency said that southerly winds strengthened in the Kanto region, especially in southern areas, as a low-pressure system moved east-northeast over the Sea of Japan and brought warmer temperatures.

Maximum wind velocities of 15.5 mps were recorded in Tokyo at 11:23 p.m. and 16.4 mps in Yokohama at 7:24 p.m. on Wednesday.

The winds, called “haru ichiban” in Japanese, are increasingly stronger southerly winds that blow between the traditional Japanese first day of spring in early February and the vernal equinox on March 21. In the Kanto region, this year’s winds arrived four days earlier than last year.