Japan Meteorological Agency officials have warned that there may be avalanches and snow falling off roofs in some regions as warm, damp air has caused rain.

Heavy snow has accumulated mainly in northern Japan, including Aomori Prefecture.

In Aomori City, 1.24 meters of snow was observed at 5 a.m. on Monday morning, but that melted down to 1.10 meters 12 hours later as temperatures rose.

Weather officials are also calling for caution as heavy snow may resume from Tuesday in many areas as a winter pressure pattern sets in.

They say snow and winds will intensify mainly along the Sea of Japan coasts, while some areas in the western region of Shikoku may also be snow-bound.

They forecast that the shift back toward cold air is expected to gain strength during the latter half of this week.