Travel

Sapporo Roads Freeze Over

SAPPORO, Dec 04 (News On Japan) - A mass of cold air on December 4th brought midwinter-level temperatures across Hokkaido, sending the entire region below freezing and prompting warnings of heavy snow and blizzard conditions along the Sea of Japan coast.

A resident in Chitose said the cold was so intense that they woke up with a headache, noting how sharply the temperature had dropped overnight. Conditions were severe across the island on the morning of December 4th, with the lowest temperature of minus 14.1 degrees recorded in Kimobetsu. In total, 16 locations including Chitose and Eniwa fell below minus 10 degrees.

Yoshii, a reporter in Sapporo, said the city looked as though it had a normal layer of snow, but beneath the fresh powder the surface was slick and rock-hard. Temperatures in Sapporo dropped to minus 5.4 degrees, turning roads entirely into ice.

Heavy snow and blizzard conditions hit areas along the Sea of Japan, and a section of the Dōō Expressway between Ebetsu Nishi and Iwamizawa was closed due to the severe weather.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

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