A cold front and low pressure systems are expected to hit the nation this weekend, with heavy snowfall forecast across wide areas of eastern and western Japan, the Meteorological Agency said Thursday.
The agency warned of traffic disruptions due to heavy snowfall from the Kinki region to Kyushu and the Kanto-Koshin, Tokai and Hokuriku regions.
In central Tokyo, snow is forecast to start falling in the early hours of Friday, and up to 5 cm is expected by the evening. Friday is a national holiday. The snowfall is likely to continue through Saturday, the agency said.
In western Japan, the agency forecast rain or snow from Thursday night and warned rain could cause mudslides around the erupting Mount Shinmoe in the Kirishima mountain range on the border of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures.