The Warmest December Ever in Japan

Japan is exceptionally warm this time around. The last month of December was 2 degrees or so warmer than the average nationwide. 

The Meteorological Agency blames for this phenomenon El Nino that has sat there since the year before last. Eastern Japan was 1.9C higher in December, Western Japan 1.7C, Northern Japan 1.6C and Okinawa and Amami 1.5C, respectively. Eastern Japan marked the warmest since the agency began collecting data in 1946.

El Nino is a phenomenon in which a warm ocean current occurring off the coast of Peru causes death of a great number of anchovy. Now it affects Japan in climate.

Yokohama, Nagoya and other 24 cities along the Pacific coast are all affected in respective monthly averages.

In precipitation, Western Japan marked 2.79 times the average year along the Pacific coast and the amount of snowfall remained 38% of the average year in Northern Japan.

According to the Meteorological Agency, a wintry distribution of atmospheric pressure sets at this week's end to lower the temperature somewhat but to last only momentarily. Eastern Japan, Western Japan down to Okinawa and Amami will continue to enjoy warmer temperatures throughout the month of January.

The Meteorological Agency predicts that El Nino will continue to lift temperatures in Eastern and Western Japan and that low-pressures belts will pass along the southern coast of Japan possibly causing heavy snowfalls along the Pacific coast if juxtaposed with a cold air mass. Watch out for the latest weather forecasts, reminds the agency.

Warm weathers woke up plum trees in Kitamoto, Saitama, where 100 plum trees partially bloomed - earliest since 2007 when data were first taken.