Heavy snow warning issued in central Tokyo for first time in four years

The Meteorological Agency has issued a warning for heavy snow in the capital on Thursday — the first such warning in four years — as low pressure and a drop in temperatures brought snowfall to large areas of the country's Pacific coast. As of Thursday evening, central Tokyo had recorded 6 centimeters of snow, Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture had logged 5 cm and both Chiba and Yokohama had 3 cm, according to the agency. The snowfall was the first of the season in these areas, and the first for Tokyo in two years. The weather agency also warned of more snow later Thursday for the Kanto and Tokai regions, urging people to be prepared for possible traffic disruption and icy roads. In the 24 hours until noon Friday, up to 10 cm of snow is expected in mountainous areas within the Kanto region. About 100 domestic flights departing or arriving at Haneda or Narita airports were canceled by 4 p.m., affecting some 9,000 passengers, according to JAL and ANA.<br/>