Directions for prevention (19) Avoid going out in heavy snowfall

　In recent years, there has been record-breaking snowfall within a short period of time in various areas, causing traffic congestion and standstill in major roads one after another. Last December, a major traffic congestion occurred in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, which took 38 hours to resolve.

　In the Meteorological Agency website under “Forecasts for snow,” information on present snowfall and forecasts up to 6 hours later are shown. Snow depth and amount of snowfall per hour are indicated in 5-square kilometer mesh and color-coded in 7 gradients.

　It is easy to check how much snow accumulation exists at a certain location and how conditions will be from now. Roads and train lines are also shown, making it easy to find a route that enables you to avoid heavy snowfall.

”Significant heavy snowfall information” includes warning for significant snowfall within a short period of time. If you notice other weather-related terms such as “heavy snowfall warning,” “heavy snowfall special warning,” or “unprecedented record-breaking heavy snowfall,” avoid nonessential and non-urgent outings.