Snow is expected to continue falling on the coastal prefectures alongside the Sea of Japan in the country on Friday after it peaked on Thursday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The agency said the winter pressure pattern had abated, ending weeks of heavy snowfall that led to more than 56 deaths across the country as of Thursday.

At 11 a.m., up to 3.51 meters of snow had accumulated at Okura Village in northern Yamagata Prefecture. At Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture, 3.48 meters of snow was on the ground, according to the public broadcaster NHK.

The JMA forecast that snow will fall in mountainous areas of central and northern Japan through Saturday.

Heavy snowfalls covered a wide swathe of region including the northern prefectures like Niigata, the northernmost island of Hokkaido and the western part.

A latest snow slide at a popular mountain hot-spring resort in northern Akita prefecture killed three people Wednesday evening.

The heavy snowfall have caused disruptions in train services and cancellation of flights in the country.

On Thursday, several main motorways connecting major cities in western Japan were partly closed and domestic operation of the air traffic over the affected areas was suspended due to the severe weather condition.