Heavy snow in many areas of Japan has led to 14 deaths since Dec. 17, leaving more than 80 people injured and, as of Sunday, cutting power to 20,000 households, the authorities said the same day.
An observation point in Yamagata Prefecture saw accumulation of 169 centimeters of snow as of 1 p.m. Sunday, the Meteorological Agency said. The agency also warned of high waves in northern Japan and along the Sea of Japan coast in eastern Japan.
As of Sunday morning, more than 30 people had been seriously injured and more than 50 had sustained minor injuries, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
Nearly 20,000 households in Hokkaido’s northern region lost power on Sunday morning due to heavy snow, Hokkaido Electric Power Co. said. Power supply was expected to be back online by Sunday evening. The prefecture already saw power outages on Friday that affected 26,000 households.
Train and airplane services were disrupted in northern Japan, and some parts of central and western Japan experienced traffic disruptions, according to NHK.