A cold wave swept in Tuesday, with temperatures in some areas, especially in the north, dropping below zero, the Meteorological Agency said.

The agency is also warning of heavy snow in Hokkaido, the Tohoku region and areas facing the Sea of Japan in the Hokuriku region, as well as strong wind in the north.

The agency said 44 areas, mainly in Hokkaido, registered very low temperatures for December, with the mercury in the Hokkaido city of Furano falling to minus 28.4, which is on par with its lowest level for December since monitoring began.

Elsewhere, the temperatures in the town of Yorii in Saitama Prefecture dropped to minus 8.2 and minus 6.8 in the town of Iwai in Tottori Prefecture.