Wide areas of Japan were covered with heavy snow on Wednesday, causing traffic jams, hundreds of airline cancellations, and disruptions to rail service that resulted in at least one fatality.
Extreme low pressure systems and an exceptionally cold weather front caused snow to start falling and strong winds to start blowing across Japan on Tuesday.
With a record-breaking 93 cm (36 inches) of snow falling in the 24 hours leading up to 8:00 a.m. (2300 GMT) on Wednesday, the city of Maniwa in western Japan had exceptionally significant snowfall on the side of the country bordering the Sea of Japan.
As of Wednesday morning, one person has perished as a result of the storm, and two further deaths were being looked into as possible storm-related deaths, according to chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.
There were no other details available right away. More than 300 flights were canceled by domestic carriers, including ANA and Japan Airlines, while bullet train services in northern Japan were suspended or delayed.
“Severe Weather Strands Thousands in Japan, Cargo Ship Sinks in Western Japan”
According to national broadcaster NHK, automobiles and trucks were unable to proceed for a distance of around 10 kilometers (6 miles) on a highway in central Japan due to the snow.
After service was halted on Tuesday due to snow and strong winds in Kyoto, some 3,000 people were left stranded at two railway stations. Some passengers were even forced to sleep on the floor at Kyoto’s main station.
Others had to trudge through the snow to get to a station where shelter had been set up while they were stranded on at least 15 trains between stations, some of which were running from late Tuesday night to early Wednesday morning, according to NHK.
A cargo ship with Hong Kong registration may have sunk early on Wednesday between western Japan and the island of Jeju, South Korea, due to strong winds associated with the typhoon.
By Wednesday lunchtime, 13 of the 22 crew members had been saved, and the search was still going on. Thursday is forecast to see more bitter weather.