Japanese weather officials are warning that snowstorms and snowdrifts will affect transportation through Saturday, mainly in the northern part of the country.

The Meteorological Agency says snow is intensifying mostly in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido due to an incoming strong cold air mass.

Horonuka in Hokkaido's Rumoi City had 11 centimeters of snow in the three hours through 6 p.m.

A strong winter pressure pattern is likely to remain and the cold air mass is expected to continue to flow in through Saturday. Heavy snow is forecast for northern Japan including the Tohoku region. Snow is expected to accumulate even in flatland areas.

Up to 50 centimeters of snow is expected in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region in the 24 hours through Saturday evening.

Gusts are predicted to reach up to 126 kilometers per hour in Hokkaido and 108 kilometers per hour in Tohoku and the neighboring prefecture of Niigata.

Waves five meters high are expected off Hokkaido, Tohoku and Niigata.

Weather officials are warning of violent winds and traffic disruptions due to blizzards and snowdrift. They are also calling for caution concerning power outages due to snow accumulation on power lines and rough seas.

A cold air mass is likely to cause temperatures to plunge.
Daytime highs are expected to be minus 1 degree Celsius in Sapporo, Hokkaido, 2 degrees in Aomori City and 13 degrees in central Tokyo and Yokohama City.

Saturday's daytime highs from Hokkaido to the Kantokoshin region, including Tokyo, could fall more than 10 degrees from Friday in some places.