Heavy snow sweeps northern Japan causing disruptions to local transportation systems
Heavy snowfall battered northern Japan as well as the Sea of Japan coast in the past two days, causing large-scale disruptions to trains and flights.
The Yuzawa area in Niigata Prefecture along the northern coast saw blizzards since Monday, where parked cars are seen wrapped in white and road signs buried under snows piling up to two meters high. Snow sweepers can be seen working arduously on main road sections to remove barriers and facilitate the resumption of travel.
With snow accumulation reaching up to 353 c.m. in some areas of Niigata, train services have been suspended on many railway routes across the prefecture.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said 70 cm of snow is expected in Niigata on Tuesday, and the amount could continue to increase in the following 24 hours.
Locals said that such a snowstorm is rarely seen in the region.
"Although I come here every year for skiing, it's the first time that I've seen such heavy and incessant snow. It's really shocking," said a skiing enthusiast.
"I have never seen such heavy snow. I'm a bit worried [about the traveling], and grateful to the snow removal workers," said a local resident.
Apart from Niigata, Hokkaido and other regions are also among the most-afflicted areas. Sapporo, one of the busiest railway stations on the island, has halted the operation of around 1,100 trains, with over 150,000 people affected or stranded. The New Chitose Airport in the Sapporo City has been closed temporarily as it logged a record snow depth of more than 110 centimeters. Altogether 202 flights had been canceled across Hokkaido as of 14:00 Tuesday.
Flight cancellations and trains delays were also seen in the coastal prefecture of Ishikawa due to heavy snow.
(Source: Reuters)
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