In February 2026, NASA’s Terra satellite captured a stunning image of Hokkaido, Japan, covered in snow. Known for having some of the snowiest cities globally, Hokkaido experiences heavy snowfall, with the island’s largest city, Sapporo, receiving more than 140 days of snowfall annually. On average, nearly 6 meters (20 feet) of snow accumulates in Sapporo each year.
Northern Japan, particularly Hokkaido, faced a challenging winter in 2026 due to a series of intense storms in January and February. These storms caused significant disruptions, paralyzing transportation systems and leading to airport closures, traffic congestion, and train suspensions. Despite the region’s familiarity with heavy snowfall, the winter of 2026 proved to be particularly disruptive for Hokkaido.
For more information on sea ice and snowstorms in Japan, you can read further here.
Text credit: Adam Voiland
Image credit: Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview
Original Source: NASA