Heavy snow hit the Sea of Japan coast Friday and is expected to continue through Sunday, adding more misery to western and northern sections of the country already buried in record-deep snow, the Meteorological Agency said.

Since December, 53 people have died and 760 people have been injured in 15 prefectures due to snow-related incidents, the Cabinet Office said, citing its tally as of 2 p.m. Friday.

The weekend snow could cause avalanches, transportation disruptions and other hazards as a strong cold air mass passes over the northern and western regions, the agency warned.

Heavy snowfall is also likely in mountainous areas on the western end of the Pacific coast, it said.

By 6 p.m. Saturday, the agency predicts 60 cm to 70 cm will hit the Hokuriku, Sanin and northern Kinki regions. About 30 cm to 50 cm is expected to fall in Hokkaido, and the Tohoku and central Kinki regions, as well as Nagano and Gifu. Gunma and Yamaguchi prefectures are likely to see 20 cm of snow.

The snowfall is expected to peak Saturday and taper off Sunday, the agency said.

The weather has slowed transportation, including the Akita Shinkansen Line, which was halted Thursday between Morioka and Akita. The line reopened around noon Friday.

In December, record snows hit 24 locations, including the city of Akita, which got 226 cm, shattering its previous record of 205 cm set in 1973.

Many areas have experienced their coldest December since 1946, and 106 spots nationwide have reported record snowfalls.