Record snowfall that hit the Hokuriku region of northwestern Japan this week killed seven people in snow-related accidents and injured at least 34. The storm brought traffic to a standstill and trapped people in 1,400 vehicles for more than 48 hours. Record heavy snow disrupted traffic and everyday life in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, NHK reported Tuesday, February 6. Kaga City in Ishikawa Prefecture was under 194 cm (76.4 inches) of snow as of 08:00 local time Wednesday, February 7 while the snowfall
in Fukui City in Fukui Prefecture, some 320 km (199 miles) west of Tokyo, reached 134 cm (52.7 inches), the worst since 1981. More than 60 cm (23.6 inches) of snow fell on the city in just two days and 22 cm (8.6 inches) within 15 hours ending 15:00 local time February 7. At the time, the city was under 147 cm (57.9 inches) of snow. This is seven times more than average for the region and the worst in 56 years. The snow trapped as much as 1,400 vehicles on a stretch of National Route No. 8 in Fukui Prefecture Tuesday night, forcing them to sleep in cars and walk for kilometers to purchase food and water. READ MORE
