Coldest wave of winter may bring heavy snowfall

Knocked out of the park: A snow sculpture of Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is covered with snow at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido. — AP

The strongest cold wave of this winter is expected to move into the skies over Japan, most likely bringing heavy snowfall mainly on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) side of the country.

The cold wave will continue for about a week, and there is a possibility of snowfall even in the low-lying areas on the Pacific Ocean side.

The Japan Meteorological Agency is urging people to be careful of the impact to traffic caused by icy road surfaces, avalanches and snow accumulation.

Shovelling off: People removing layers of snow from a street in Kushiro, Hokkaido. — AP

Up to 6am today, the amount of snowfall in the 24 hours is expected to be as follows: 70cm in Tohoku, Hokuriku (including Niigata prefecture) and Tokai; 50cm in Hokkaido, Kinki and Chugoku; 30cm in northern Kyushu and 20cm in Shikoku. —The Japan Times/ANN