Image: Winter Grips Hokkaido, Japan

Image: Winter grips Hokkaido, Japan

Northern Japan, especially the island of Hokkaido, is home to some of the snowiest cities in the world. Sapporo, the island's largest city and host of an annual snow festival, typically sees more than 140 days of snowfall, with nearly six meters (20 feet) accumulating on average each year. 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 r…

Stormy, Snowy Winter for Hokkaido

Northern Japan, especially the island of Hokkaido, is home to some of the snowiest cities in the world. 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.Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview On February 5, 2026, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NA…