Parts of Japan see nearly 2 m (6.6 feet) of snow
Heavy sea-effect snow has been affecting parts of Japan over the past couple of days, with more than 1 m (3 feet) of snow already registered in some regions and snowfall expected to persist through Saturday. Some areas have already received twice the usual snowfall.
Approximately 59 cm (23.2 inches) of snow was recorded in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture, in the 24 hours through 20:00 local time (LT), while 40 cm (15.7 inches) was recorded in Nishi-Aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture.
Some areas received well over 1 m (3.3 feet) of snow within 72 hours. As of 20:00 LT on Friday, 1.95 m (6.4 feet) of snow was reported in Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, while Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, recorded 1.85 m (6.1 feet) during the same period.
By 18:00 LT on Thursday, accumulated snowfall reached 1.84 m (6.0 feet) in Sumon, Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, and 1.67 m (5.5 feet) in Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture.
On the Noto Peninsula, which experienced a major earthquake and torrential rains last year, 7 cm (2.8 inches) of snow was recorded on the ground in Suzu City and 1 cm (0.4 inches) in Wajima City, both in Ishikawa Prefecture.
In the 24 hours through Saturday evening, approximately 50 cm (20 inches) of snow is forecast for the Tohoku and northern Kanto regions, with 40 cm (16 inches) expected in other regions, primarily in the west.
References:
1 Snowfall to continue in areas along Sea of Japan coast through Saturday – NHK – January 10, 2024
2 Heavy snowfall hits Japan – NHK – January 9, 2024
Featured image credit: NASA Aqua/MODIS, The Watchers. Acquired on January 10, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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