Lives lost: Severe snowfall in Japan

Heavy snowfall has claimed the lives of several people in Japan, alongside nearly 100 injured in the last ten days.

Parts of Japan are currently experiencing a heavy onset of winter with enormous amounts of snow. At least 17 people have already died as a result of the snowstorm.

Regions near the west coast, along the Sea of Japan, in addition to Hokkaido in the north of Japan have been the worst affected by record-high snow falls. Snow has also affected areas where there is normally little snow, such as the Pacific island of Shikoku.

In the past few days, roads and motorways have been repeatedly buried under snow. Air and rail traffic was also severely affected, with hundreds of flights cancelled.

The Lake Effect phenomenon was partly responsible for the enormous amounts of snow. Icy air from Siberia flowed over the relatively warm Sea of Japan, absorbing a lot of moisture.

When this moist air then hit the coast of Japan, moisture was released in the form of snowfall. It is often seen through winter in the Great Lakes of the US.

Several fronts also passed through the country, with further snowfall expected in the coming days, mainly in the north and west.