TOKYO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency on Thursday said further heavy snow is forecast in the country's north-to-west regions facing the Sea of Japan, urging residents to be vigilant after many vehicles were left stranded.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said a winter-type pressure pattern is intensifying as the season's most powerful cold air is flowing into those regions.
In the 24 hours through Friday morning, as much as 60 cm of snowfall is expected in the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan, 50 cm in the country's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the eastern region of Kanto-Koshin, as well as 40 cm in the Hokuriku, Kinki and Chugoku regions, according to the JMA.
JMA officials called on people to be on the alert for traffic disruptions caused by snow accumulation and icy roads.
The warning came just a day after nearly 800 vehicles became stuck on the Meishin Expressway in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, when two trailers became stuck in the snow, blocking vehicles in a 6.6-km section of a lane at one point, while vehicles were also immobilized on a 5.5-km stretch of the opposing lane, according to the local fire department.
The disruption, which began around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday, had ended by around 4 a.m. Thursday, with the express operator and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force clearing snow in the area. ■
