Tokyo: Coastal regions along the Sea of Japan in northern, central, and western Japan experienced heavy snowfall on Friday, leading to disruptions in bullet train services and the closure of several expressways and national roads.
In the morning, the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train services were temporarily halted between Fukushima Station in Fukushima Prefecture and Shinjo Station in Yamagata Prefecture, affecting 12 trains and approximately 1,600 passengers, according to East Japan Railway.
Train operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were also impacted, running at reduced speeds between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka stations, with delays reported on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line.
Additionally, part of the Hokuriku Expressway was closed from early Friday until around noon due to an accident, stranding about 100 vehicles. A section where the Tomei and Meishin expressways converge between Aichi and Shiga prefectures was also temporarily shut down.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has advised residents in affected areas to remain cautious, as snowfall is expected to continue in mountainous regions facing the Sea of Japan through Saturday morning. The JMA predicts that northeastern, central, and western regions could receive up to 60 centimeters of snow within 24 hours, ending at 6 a.m. local time on Saturday.
Earlier this week, the JMA reported that 2024 was the hottest year on record for Japan, attributed to global warming and westerly winds. The average temperature from January to December was 1.48 degrees Celsius above the average for the 30-year period ending in 2020, marking the largest deviation since records began in 1898, surpassing the previous year’s record of 1.29 degrees Celsius. Record-high temperatures were noted in autumn, following an exceptionally hot summer that matched the previous record set in 2023. The JMA indicated that the years from 2019 to 2024 are among the six hottest on record.