Despite claims of overall global warming, Europe and Japan are still getting hit with record low temps.  In Japan record snowfall could actually help fight the radiation contamination from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster reactors.

The heavy snow would help sweep the air of radiation, and sweep the surfaces of buildings, plants, cars and the ground of “external” radiation.  But this in turn would make the snow radioactive, so a new twist on the joke about not eating yellow snow!

Another problem is that any snowmelt getting into the ground will be absorbed by plants, making them “internally” contaminated.  It would be a good idea for Japanese to test the snow for contamination.