Tokyo's ambulance service has experienced its busiest day in more than 80 years, officials said Thursday, amid icy conditions as the Japanese capital shivers through its coldest temperatures in decades.

The Tokyo fire department, which runs the ambulance service, said it had responded to 2,826 calls on Wednesday following rare and heavy snow that sparked chaos in one of the world's most populous cities.

"Generally, we receive more calls in winter. But we think the combination of influenza, heavy snow and cold weather contributed to the record high number," a fire department spokesman told AFP.

The number of emergency call-outs was the highest since the service began in 1936 and well above the average of around 2,000.

The annual number of emergency calls has been on the rise for the past eight years in Tokyo, the spokesman added.

As a cold snap grips Japan, the mercury in Tokyo dropped to minus four degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit), the coldest in 48 years, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.

And the government warned the glacial conditions in Tokyo would continue.

"The weather agency has issued a low temperature warning for Tokyo for the first time in 33 years ... The cold weather will continue until Saturday," deputy government spokesman Kotaro Nogami told reporters.

A rare heavy blanket of snow in Tokyo on Tuesday left thousands of travellers stranded and scores injured.

Japan's weather agency recorded as much as 23 centimetres (9.2 inches) of snow in some parts of Tokyo, the biggest snowfall since February 2014.

The weather paralysed Monday evening's commute as millions of workers battled to get home on the city's famously crowded transport system.

Tweet

Climate change and snowmelt - turn up the heat, but what about humidity?
Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Jan 24, 2018
It's said on sticky summer days: "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." That holds true in the winter too, and could hold the key to the future of snowpack and water resources in the American West. In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Utah professor Paul Brooks and University of Nevada Reno professor Adrian Harpold show that changes in ... read more

Related Links
It's A White Out at TerraDaily.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only