Heavy Snow on the Sea of Japan Side Likely to Intensify on Saturday; Iwamizawa Sees Record-High Snow

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:23 JST, December 22, 2023

This season’s strongest cold front brought heavy snowfall mainly on the Sea of Japan side of the country on Friday. The snow is expected to get heavier on Saturday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency is warning people to be careful about accidents and transportation disruptions caused by the heavy snow.

According to the agency, the amount of snow that fell in the 24 hours ending at 11 a.m. Friday was 73 centimeters in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, the largest snowfall in the city’s recorded history. Even on Honshu, Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, saw 58 centimeters; Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, saw 54 centimeters; and Ono, Fukui Prefecture, saw 53 centimeters.

Heavy snow is expected to continue Saturday, covering a wide area. The amount of snowfall in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. Saturday is expected to be 80 centimeters in the Hokuriku region; 60 centimeters in the Tokai region; 50 centimeters in Hokkaido, Kanto-Koshin, Kinki and Chugoku regions; and 40 centimeters in the Tohoku region.