Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Japan Snowstorm Dumps Feet of Snow, Kills 2; Hundreds of Flights Canceled

Sean Breslin
Published: December 17,2014



 
A massive storm system dropped feet of snow on parts of Japan this week, leading to travel problems and at least two deaths.
Blizzard warnings were issued for 11 of the country's 47 prefectures on Wednesday as the storm continued to dump snow. Due to sea-effect snow, as much as 38 inches of snow had been recorded, with the highest totals being reported in Hinoemata village, Fukushima prefecture.
"A low-pressure system intensified dramatically as it moved up the Pacific coast of Japan on Wednesday. Now, it's stalled near the eastern tip of Hokkaido," said weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. "So we not only have high winds and heavy snow near the core of the storm on Hokkaido, but there's also a huge zone of cold winds behind the storm blowing Siberian air across the Sea of Japan and into the mountains of Japan's largest island, Honshu. So there are multiple bands of very heavy snow on that side of Japan."
(MORE: Will You See a White Christmas? Check Our Forecast)
Two people died in separate weather-related traffic accidents – one in Hokkaido and the other in Hiroshima Prefecture. NHK said the Hokkaido death occurred when a car skidded into a utility pole, and a separate NHK article said the fatality in Hiroshima occurred when a driver got out of his car and was hit by another vehicle.
AFP reported that two other people sustained injuries in the storm. One man suffered a broken leg when strong winds blew shutters off a building, and a man was hospitalized with broken ribs after a gust flipped his trailer. Both injuries occurred in Hokkaido.
The storm also trapped three men on Mount Shiraga on the island of Shikoku in western Japan, according to NHK. The report said the men became stuck on the mountain because of heavy snowfall, and a rescue is being planned for Thursday morning.
Travel was also affected by the big storm, both in the air and on the ground. Nearly 300 flights have been canceled at two airports, AFP reported via Jiji Press, and dozens of cars were stuck underneath huge snow drifts on city roads.

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