Heavy snow could fall in Tokyo and surrounding areas through early Monday, disrupting transportation during the morning rush hour, the weather agency and the transport ministry said Sunday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a low atmospheric pressure system and a cold air mass together could bring heavy snowfall from Sunday evening to Monday morning mainly in the Kanto-Koshin region including Tokyo.
In the 24 hours through Monday noon, snowfall could reach 30 centimeters in Yamanashi Prefecture, 20 cm in Nagano Prefecture and the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture, and 8 cm in the central area of Tokyo.
All Nippon Airways canceled two flights that were scheduled to depart from Tokyo's Haneda airport on Sunday. For Monday, ANA and Japan Airlines decided to cancel 10 and 20 domestic flights, respectively, to and from Haneda airport.
JR East halted five limited express train runs connecting Tokyo with the nearby prefectures of Yamanashi in eastern Japan and Nagano in central Japan on Sunday evening, while highway operator Metropolitan Expressway may close some sections on Monday.
Heavy snowfall hit Tokyo and nearby prefectures last month, grounding flights and delaying trains. More than 50 people were taken to hospitals in the capital, which is not used to regular snowfall, after slipping and falling due to ice and snow on the streets.