The Meteorological Agency is considering naming this winter's snowfall nationwide the "Heisei 18 (2006) Heavy Snow" after the number of deaths since December reached 134, the second-highest in the postwar era, agency officials said Wednesday.

The death toll follows 228 fatalities in 1963. The agency termed the snowfall that year the "Showa 38 (1963) January Heavy Snow," the only time it has given a season's snowfall a name.

"Heisei" and "Showa" are traditional era names based on the reigns of emperors.