Many places from northern to western Japan experienced frigid temperatures on Sunday morning, with central Tokyo recording a sub-zero temperature, its coldest of the season.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the lowest temperature recorded on Sunday morning was minus 24.6 degrees Celsius in the town of Rikubetsu, Hokkaido. The city of Suwa in Nagano observed minus 6.9 degrees, and Saitama City, which is near Tokyo, recorded minus 4.1 degrees. Central Tokyo and the cities of Hiroshima and Takamatsu also dropped to minus 0.2 degrees.

A cold air mass flew in over the country. With almost no clouds to prevent heat from radiating from the ground, surface temperatures dropped, mainly on the Pacific side of the country.
Temperatures will likely remain low during the day. The daytime high in the city of Sapporo is expected to be minus 1. The temperature will reach 2 degrees in the city of Aomori, 9 degrees in central Tokyo and 10 degrees in the cities of Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima.

Weather officials forecast warmer temperatures and rain over wide regions of Japan, as low pressure systems on the Sea of Japan side and along the southern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu will be passing through the country.

Authorities are warning that melting snow could trigger avalanches in snow-covered areas, especially Aomori Prefecture. The cities of Aomori and Hirosaki recorded more than 1 meter of snowfall on Sunday morning, which is more than triple the amount for this time of year.