Heavy snow persists on Sea of Japan coast, traffic disruptions expected
Heavy snow continued to fall in areas along the Sea of Japan coast on Saturday, with the country's weather agency warning of transport disruptions due to more snowfall over the weekend, Kyodo reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported heavy snow in the cities of Katsuyama and Ono in Fukui Prefecture, warning of slippery roads and possible avalanches as a cold air mass and strong winter pressure pattern persist through Sunday.
Northern to western regions facing the Sea of Japan, including Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, a popular tourist destination, and Niigata Prefecture, home to ski resorts, have seen heavy snowfall since earlier this week.
Highway traffic may be disrupted between Nagoya and Osaka, with multiple road sections between the central and western Japanese prefectures likely to be closed overnight as a precautionary measure, according to Central Nippon Expressway Co. and West Nippon Expressway Co.
Some areas of Japan have already seen twice as much snow as typically observed at this time of the year.
Earlier, it was reported that heavy snow and rainfall killed 61, injured 110 in Afghanistan in 3 days.
