TOKYO, Marc 5, 2024 (BSS/Xinhua) - The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has described the current winter season as unusually warm in the country, with the second-highest national average temperature since record-keeping began in 1898.

 The weather agency convened an expert panel on Monday to analyze the weather conditions from December to February in Japan.

 The average temperature during the period was 1.27 degrees Celsius higher than in the average year, making this winter the second warmest following the record set in 2020.

 Panel chief Hisashi Nakamura, a professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology of the University of Tokyo, said it would be safe to call this winter unusually warm, noting that more similarly warm winters could be in store in the future, depending on weather conditions.

 The weather officials attributed the warm winter to global warming, adding that westerlies flowing in high altitudes, including the subtropical jet stream that meandered north near Japan, caused the archipelago to be covered by warm air from the south.

 Another westerly, the polar front jet stream, made only small movements near Japan, preventing cold air from proceeding south, according to the JMA.