Intermittent heavy snow from the 17th of this month.

More than 10 people have died nationwide so far.

On the 24th, a woman was found buried in snow in Hokkaido and was confirmed dead.

It is believed that he was caught in snow that fell from the roof during snow removal.



We interviewed experts about the dangers of falling snow.

Under the weight of the snow..."Fallen tree"

The interviewee was Mr. Isao Ueishi of the Research Center for Snow and Ice Disaster Prevention, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience.



The "fallen tree" was explained as being caused by the weight of the snow.

It has caused power outages all over the country.

In Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, where I interviewed, it is rare that there are so many fallen trees due to snow.

(Isao Ueishi)


"It's raining at exactly 0 degrees. Then the snow is wet and heavier than it looks."

The danger of heavy snow, even at home

The danger of snow that has become heavy due to rain is the same for houses.

This means that heavy snow masses can fall all at once.



(Isao Ueishi)


"If you get caught, you can get seriously injured, so it's important to be careful not to get into that kind of place."

It rained in Niigata Prefecture on the 24th, but it is said that the danger may increase if it snows again.

Due to the heavy snow the other day, Nagaoka City was temporarily covered with more than 1 meter of snow.

The boundary between the sherbet-like portion of the accumulated snow and the newly fallen snow on top is fragile and may collapse at once.



(Isao Ueishi)


"There is a possibility that a surface avalanche will occur, so I think it would be good to keep that in mind."

Ensure safety during snow removal and snow removal work

Although the peak of the heavy snowfall has passed, it is expected that snow will continue to fall mainly along the mountains from Hokkaido to Kyushu until the 25th.

Be sure to ensure safety when removing snow or removing snow.



(Isao Ueishi)


"When clearing snow, you should wear a helmet, attach a lifeline, do it with multiple people instead of one, and have a mobile phone. There is still plenty of snow to fall, so I think that I would like to ask you to prepare and deal with it based on