According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 47 inches of snowfall occurred during a 12-hour period on Monday in Obihiro, with blizzard conditions likely across northeast parts of the country.
OBIHIRO, Japan – Residents on the island nation of Japan are digging out from feet of snow as the combination of a powerful storm system and sea-enhanced precipitation led to historic amounts.
According to reports received by the Japan Meteorological Agency, 47 inches of snowfall occurred during a 12-hour period on Monday in Obihiro, on the island of Hokkaido, with weeklong totals expected to reach several feet.
The agency warned residents to be on guard for heavy snow, blizzard conditions, rough seas and the threat of avalanches.
The wintry weather caused airports in northern and western parts of the country to cancel flights, and hundreds of schools were closed as millions of residents battled through the most significant cold weather outbreak of the year.
Photos and videos from the northern part of the country showed large earthmovers being used to remove snow, with cars buried in the snowdrifts.
Heavy machinery (C) is used to clear a road as snow falls across northern Japan, in the city of Obihiro, Hokkaido prefecture on February 4, 2025.
(Photo by STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Locals appeared to be surprised by the historic winter blast and were bracing for temperatures to plummet to near zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Despite the historical nature of the event, there were no widespread reports of damage or power outages according to utility providers.
Further south, in more densely populated areas such as Tokyo, it appeared that residents escaped the worst of the weather, with highs expected to reach the 50s under dry conditions.
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Heavy snowfall events across the northern and western parts of the country are not rare, according to the government of Japan. In fact, parts of the Asian country are among the snowiest communities in the world.
Cities such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Hokuriku make up what is known as the country’s snowbelt and annually see between 100 and 400 inches of snow.
In comparison, Buffalo, New York, only sees around 95 inches of wintry precipitation per year, with nearby Syracuse annually taking the crown as the snowiest city in America with nearly 130 inches.
These are the seven snowiest cities in the U.S. based on the most recent 30-year climatological averages (1991-2020).
(FOX Weather)