Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend across many mountainous areas and the side of the country facing the Japan Sea.
The Meteorological Agency says a strong cold air mass and an atmospheric pressure pattern typical for the season have brought heavy snow to regions from Chugoku through to Hokkaido.
Weather officials in Japan warn of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in mountainous areas of the Hokuriku and Kanto-Koshin regions.
A strong cold air mass brought record snowfall this week to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures. Blizzards left more than 2,000 vehicles stranded for many hours on an expressway.
Weather officials in Japan are warning of more heavy snow this weekend, mainly in coastal areas along the Sea of Japan.
A strong cold air mass brought a record snowfall of about 200 centimeters to mountainous areas in Niigata and neighboring Gunma prefectures from Tuesday to Thursday.
Record-breaking snowfall continues to down power lines and close off traffic arteries in northern and western Japan --- with little relief in sight. For some it's meant many hours stuck on the highway --- without food and with nowhere to go.
About 2,000 vehicles were stranded on this expressway which links Tokyo to Niigata - on Wednesday.
Another blast of heavy snow is expected for coastal areas of the country along the Sea of Japan starting around Friday evening.
Due to a strong cold air mass over the Japanese archipelago, coupled with the season's typical atmospheric air pattern, heavy snow continued falling in mountainous areas from northern through western Japan.
Unusually heavy snowfall for this time of the year is wreaking havoc across many parts of Japan. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has instructed his cabinet ministers to provide support for local governments affected.
Suga held a meeting with relevant Cabinet ministers on Thursday, as the heavy snow is forecast to continue this week.
Heavy snowfall on Thursday stranded more than 1,000 vehicles on a Japanese expressway.
The line of cars and trucks on this highway connecting Tokyo to Niigata stretched for a full fifteen kilometers. Many had no access to food or water for hours.
Weather officials in Japan say Typhoon Chan-hom may approach southwestern Japanese islands on Thursday. They are advising people to keep an eye on weather reports and stay on the alert for heavy rain, stormy winds and high waves.
The Meteorological Agency says Chan-hom was over waters 240 kilometers east-northeast of the island of Minami Daitojima at midnight between Wednesday and Thursday, and moving northwest at about 25 kilometers per hour.
Japanese weather officials say Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom may approach the country over the weekend, bringing heavy rain to western and eastern regions.
The Meteorological Agency says Chan-hom was moving west-northwest at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour over waters south of Japan as of noon on Wednesday.
Typhoon Haishen has passed by the southwestern island of Kyushu, but authorities in Japan are calling on people to remain on alert.
The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain to Japan's Kyushu and Chugoku regions. It also caused heavy rain in many parts of the country. Authorities are warning of landslides, swollen rivers and flooding in low-lying areas.
The Meteorological Agency says heavy rainfall will likely hit the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan and Niigata Prefecture through Wednesday morning.
Weather officials are warning of possible mudslides and flooding in the areas. They say the level of rainfall may require officials to issue emergency warnings, and urge residents to make preparations.
Japanese weather officials say heavy rain has been intermittently pounding the greater Tokyo area and the country's central region of Tokai.
Meteorological Agency officials say rainclouds have developed over those regions due to warm and damp air flowing toward the seasonal rain front over Japan.
Weather officials say a seasonal rain front lingering over Japan is creating localized rainclouds that will unleash torrential showers over western and eastern Japan through Monday. They warn that the downpours could trigger landslides and cause rivers to overflow.
The Meteorological Agency says the rainclouds formed over the Kinki, Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions on Saturday because of unstable atmospheric conditions.
Japanese weather officials are warning torrential rains may pound wide areas of western and eastern Japan over the weekend.
The Meteorological Agency says warm, damp air is flowing towards a seasonal rain front hovering over western and eastern parts of archipelago, destabilizing atmospheric conditions across wide areas.