Japan Meteorological Agency - First Snowless Winter In Tokyo Since Records Started In 1876 - AFP

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TOKYO (AFP) - The Japanese capital Tokyo has ended winter without snow for the first time on record, the weather agency said Thursday, amid rising global concern about climate change.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded no snow in central Tokyo by February 28, which it defines as the last day of winter, for the first time since records began in 1876.

"We believe El Nino can be one factor. Another theory is that the seasonal southward movement of cold air from the Arctic region was not sustained and weak," an agency official said. "It's a bit of stretch to link this directly to global warming. But the winter was very warm, for sure."

The temperature at the central observation point was a balmy 13.2 degrees Celsius (55.7 degrees Fahrenheit) Thursday.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070301/sc_afp/japanclimatewarming_070301094035;_ylt=Aglq9Puyyh658JPZoXXxe9BrAlMA

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1. Japan has warmest winter ever, no snow in Tokyo - Reuters

Japan has warmest winter ever, no snow in Tokyo
02 Mar 2007 09:58:43 GMT
Source: Reuters

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TOKYO, March 2 (Reuters) - Japan has had the warmest winter ever and central Tokyo has
seen no snow so far -- the first time since records began, the official weather forecaster
said on Friday.

"We have never seen a year without snow in the central Tokyo area. We started taking snow
records in 1877," an official with Japan's Meteorological Agency said. "If central Tokyo does
not see snow before long, it will be for the first time since then."

The agency said nationwide average temperatures for the three months from December 2006
to February 2007 matched the previous highs in the December 1948-February 1949 period.
It started recording nationwide average temperatures in 1899.

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Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T293180.htm