Winter Grips Japan

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about The country’s northern regions are accustomed to snow, but unrelenting storms have snarled transportation and caused other challenges this winter.

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Winter Grips Japan Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search 3 min read Winter Grips Japan Image of the Day for The country’s northern regions are accustomed to snow, but unrelenting storms have snarled transportation and caused other challenges this winter. NASA Earth Observatory Feb 10, 2026 Article View more Images of the Day: Feb 9, 2026 Instruments: Terra — MODIS Topics: Extreme Weather Snow Northern Japan, especially the island of Hokkaido, is home to some of the snowiest cities in the world. (wild, right?)

Sapporo , the island’s largest city and host of an annual snow festival , typically sees more than 140 days of snowfall, with nearly 6 meters (20 feet) accumulating on average each year.

The Details

The ski resorts surrounding the city delight in the relatively dry, powdery ” sea-effect ” snow that often falls when frigid air from Siberia flows across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan. But, despite the region’s familiarity with heavy snowfall, winter 2026 got off to a disruptive start.

A series of intense storms in January and February repeatedly paralyzed transportation systems , closing airports, snarling roadways, and suspending trains. Following storms that dropped more than 2 meters (7 feet) of snow in Aomori, a city on the island of Honshu just south of Hokkaido (out of frame), authorities deployed troops to help clear roofs, according to news reports .

Why This Matters

The snow has caused dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

The Bottom Line

This story is still developing, and we’ll keep you updated as more info drops.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.