Western, central Japan blanketed by heavy snow

Swathes of western and central Japan on Sunday saw heavy snowfall blanket towns and cities, causing disruption to major transportation networks with flights canceled and Sanyo Shinkansen bullet trains reducing their service.

According to local media reports, snow fell as far southwest as Nagasaki and Kagoshima Prefectures, and the mercury in Okinawa's capital of Naha plunged below 9 degrees Celsius compared to an average for the month of 16 degrees Celsius.

Nagasaki received around eight centimeters of snow and Kagoshima four centimeters.

The snow was the heaviest in western Japan, however, with local media reporting that the town of Kitahiroshima in Hiroshima saw 74 centimeters of snow dumped in just 24 hours through this morning.

The coastal town of Suzu, in Ishikawa Prefecture, meanwhile, saw 35 centimeters of snow within the same timeframe.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the cold snap was likely to continue with more inclement weather in western and central areas through Monday and warned of further disruption to transportation networks. Enditem