In the Japanese tourism world, Sapporo, capital city of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is famous for its beer, skiing and annual Sapporo Snow Festival featuring enormous ice sculptures. Hokkaido had heavy snow Friday, with Sapporo observing the heaviest snowfall in 50 years for December, and nearly 50,000 people were affected after air and railway traffic was disrupted.
Hujan salji di ibu kota prefektur mencapai 96 cm (lebih dari 37 inci) pada jam 9 malam Jumaat, mencapai puncak 90 cm untuk pertama kalinya pada bulan Disember sejak 1966.
Salji lebat memaksa syarikat penerbangan membatalkan lebih daripada 260 penerbangan yang menghubungkan Lapangan Terbang New Chitose, selatan Sapporo, dan lokasi lain, menurut pengendali lapangan terbang. Hokkaido Railway Co. juga mengatakan bahawa ia membatalkan lebih dari 380 perkhidmatan kereta api.
Angin kencang menyebabkan gangguan bekalan elektrik di sekitar 3,800 rumah di bandar Erimo dan sebahagian bandar Samani.
