Northeast Asia Covered by Arctic Cold Wave... Heavy Snowfall in Japan Following Jeju Island

Hokuriku 100cm Heavy Snow Forecast
Casualties and Traffic Disruptions... Concerns Over Heavy Snow on Noto Peninsula

Due to the impact of the Arctic cold wave, record-breaking heavy snowfall continues in the southern Korean Peninsula and Japan. In Jeju, more than 40cm of snow is forecasted, causing hundreds of flight cancellations and blocking air routes. Similarly, Japan is experiencing traffic paralysis and casualties due to heavy snowfall. The effects of the snow clouds extending from the southern West Sea to Japan are expected to persist for some time.

Heavy snowfall continues for the third day in Jeju Island... Numerous flight cancellations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Jeju Regional Meteorological Administration on the 24th, a heavy snow warning is in effect for the mountainous areas and the northern and southern mid-mountain regions of Jeju Island, while a heavy snow advisory is issued for the eastern, western, northern, southern areas, and Chuja Island. As a result, 50cm of snow has accumulated on Sasebi of Hallasan Mountain from midnight on the 21st to 7 a.m. on the 24th, recording the highest snowfall. The main snowfall amounts on Hallasan are 43.4cm at Eorimok, 26.7cm at Samgakbong, and 15.1cm on the southern wall of Baengnokdam.

Snowfall amounts in the mid-mountain and coastal main areas are 22.6cm at Hallasan Ecological Forest, 14.7cm at Hannam-ri, 11.8cm at Gasiri, 8.2cm at Seongsan, 5.4cm at Jungmun, 3.7cm at Saebyeol Oreum, 3.3cm in Jeju City, and 0.3cm at Gosan. With heavy snow accumulation, Hallasan Mountain has been completely closed to climbers for the third day, and vehicle traffic has been fully restricted on mountain roads including Route 1100, Route 516, Bijarim-ro, 1 Sanrok-ro, Myeongnim-ro, and Cheomdan-ro.

A strong wind advisory remains in effect across Jeju Island, and a high wave warning continues for the seas in front of Jeju, so passengers using flights and ferries must check the operation status in advance. Of the 419 domestic round-trip flights and 34 international round-trip flights scheduled at Jeju Airport the previous day, 405 domestic round-trip flights and 20 international flights were canceled.

Heavy snowfall across Japan with ongoing heavy snow warnings

Heavy snowfall in Fukui Prefecture. (Photo by Weathernews)

On the 24th, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of heavy snowfall across the country and urged caution for safety. In the central Hokuriku region, nearly 100cm of heavy snow is forecasted by 6 p.m. that day. Additionally, 80cm of snow is expected in Kinki, where Osaka and Kyoto Prefectures are located; 70cm in eastern Japan’s Tohoku and Tokai regions; and 60cm in Kanto Koshin and Chugoku regions including Tokyo. In the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, where recovery work is still ongoing after the strong earthquake on the 1st, 50cm of snow is expected.

As of 6:49 a.m. that day, heavy snow warnings were issued for Gifu City, Ogaki City, Hashima City, and Yamagata City in central Gifu Prefecture. Heavy snow warnings were also issued at 6 p.m. the previous day for Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Saga Prefectures, popular destinations for Korean tourists, and the effects are expected to continue.

In response, the Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism jointly issued an 'emergency announcement' due to the heavy snow. The emergency announcement is a joint briefing by the Meteorological Agency and the Ministry when large-scale vehicle entrapments on highways or people trapped in trains occur due to heavy snow, signaling serious damage concerns and urging countermeasures. Since 2020, Japan has issued this announcement a total of 11 times.

Casualties due to heavy snow have also occurred. At 3 a.m. that day in Kitakyushu, a large trailer slipped on the snow and struck a passing man, resulting in his death. The previous day in Hokkaido, an elderly woman in her 80s was hit and killed by a large snow removal vehicle while clearing snow in front of her house.

Transportation disruptions are also widespread. As of 4 a.m. that day, All Nippon Airways (ANA) canceled 10 domestic flights, and Japan Airlines (JAL) canceled 3 domestic flights departing from Osaka Airport. Airlines warned, "Flight cancellations are expected to increase depending on future weather conditions. Please check the latest information on our websites."

A scene of Oita Prefecture where heavy snowfall makes it difficult for drivers to secure visibility. (Photo by Saga TV)

For the JR Tokaido (Tohoku) Shinkansen, delays are occurring due to snow removal and inspection work near Nagoya and Shin-Osaka stations, and some limited express trains on routes such as Osaka-Kanazawa and Nagoya-Kanazawa have been suspended for the entire day. In Kanazawa Prefecture, authorities warned, "Heavy snow at warning levels is expected," and urged people to avoid unnecessary outings amid anticipated traffic disruptions.

In Hokkaido, 207 schools, including 117 elementary schools and 69 middle schools, have been temporarily closed.

Most importantly, the heavy snow is expected to fall on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered earthquake damage on the 1st, raising concerns about additional damage. Some road sections in Ishikawa Prefecture are closed, temporarily disrupting the transport of relief supplies. NHK urged, "As evacuation life prolongs, many people’s conditions are deteriorating. Please focus on preventing not only power outages caused by heavy snow but also hypothermia."

Meanwhile, like Japan, the southern regions of South Korea are also under the influence of the cold wave, with heavy snow forecasted. The Meteorological Administration predicted 10 to 30cm of snow in the mountainous areas of Jeju Island, with some places expecting over 40cm. By 6 a.m. that day, 346 flights, including those to Jeju, Gimpo, Daegu, and Gwangju, had been canceled.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.