Japan's Average Temperature in 2024 Expected to Reach Unprecedented Levels
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Tokyo, Dec 29 (NationPress) The average temperature in Japan for 2024 is expected to set a new record for the second consecutive year, as reported by local media outlets.
Preliminary data from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) indicates that the average temperature up to November was 1.64 degrees Celsius above the annual average for the 30-year span ending in 2020, marking the highest level since the agency began recording data in 1898, according to Xinhua news agency, citing Kyodo News.
A JMA official stated, “It can be said that temperatures were abnormally high.”
The unusually high temperatures are attributed to warm air being drawn in by westerlies that have shifted further north than normal, combined with the impacts of global warming, as per the agency's findings.
In recent years, Japan has experienced a continuous rise in temperatures, with the five-year period from 2019 to 2023 accounting for the top five hottest years on record, the report noted.
The average surface temperature of the seas surrounding Japan was also 1.46 degrees Celsius higher than the annual average as of late November, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 since comparable data became available in 1908.
On December 23, Japan's weather agency issued warnings for residents to remain cautious as heavy snowfall was forecasted, particularly impacting the northern and western regions along the Sea of Japan.
In areas such as Hirakawa City in Aomori Prefecture, Minamiaizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture, and Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture, snowfall reached about 20 cm, according to the JMA.
Weather officials have urged individuals, especially those in the northern and western regions near the Sea of Japan, to be aware of potential avalanches and the accumulation of snow on power lines and trees.
Earlier, on December 19, central Tokyo experienced its first snowfall of the season, occurring 15 days earlier than usual and 25 days earlier than the previous season, as stated by the country's weather agency.
