snow and sunshine

snow and sunshine - the patterns of sky and earth

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Friday, February 03, 2012 - NHK news

Heavy snowfall peaks in northern Japan

The heavy snow in northern and central Japan has passed its peak.
But weather officials warn that snow is likely to continue falling on the Sea of Japan coast through Saturday.
The Meteorological Agency says the winter pressure pattern has weakened, brining an end to the heavy snowfall that began in late January.

At 11 AM on Friday, Okura Village in Yamagata Prefecture had 3.51 meters of snow.
Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture had 3.48 meters.

The agency predicts that snow will fall on and off in mountainous regions of central and northern Japan through Saturday.
Some areas, mainly along the Sea of Japan, have double to triple the usual amount of snow.

Japan Railway companies say that shinkansen bullet trains are being delayed by up to 45 minutes between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka.
Air traffic has also been disrupted by the snow.

Weather officials are advising caution for traffic disruptions, avalanches and snow-related accidents.


Mercury hits record lows in Japan

A cold air mass over Japan brought the coldest morning of the season on Friday. Temperatures marked record lows in many parts of the country.
Officials say the weather is clear in many places, after days of heavy snow. Temperatures hit all-time lows at 38 locations across Japan.

In the southwestern island of Kyushu, the temperature was minus 14.7 degrees Celsius in Oita Prefecture. It was minus 10.6 degrees in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The cold weather suspended operations at a thermal power plant in Oita Prefecture in the morning. The plant operator says the cause was frozen air pipes, and that power-generating turbines are now being restored.

Elsewhere in Japan, it was minus 26 degrees in Nobeyama-kogen in the central part of the country. Minus 15.5 degrees was recorded in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan.

Weather officials said sub-zero temperatures were experienced at most of the observation points across the country.
Tokyo was among them. The temperature was minus 1 degree.


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