Too early！ First snowfall in Hokkaido after 16 days—33 days earlier than last year

▲ Hokkaido has seen its first snowfall of the year today (the 16th). The image shows the snow scene at Sapporo International Ski Resort today. (Photo / taken fromSapporo International Ski Resort's official Facebook page)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Last year, Hokkaido in Japan experienced an unusually late start to its snow season, dubbed the latest first snowfall in a century. Unexpectedly, just as the season turned to cool autumn, Hokkaido saw its first snowfall of winter on the 16th. Affected by this year’s 26th typhoon “Wipha,” which brought strong winds and heavy rains along with a blast of cold air, the weather observatory in Obihiro City, Tokachi region of Hokkaido, recorded this year’s first snowfall at around 9 a.m. today (the 16th).

According to Japanese media reports, this year’s first snowfall in Hokkaido came 33 days earlier than last year. This marks the fourth earliest first snowfall on record in Obihiro City. By 4 p.m. on the 16th, the accumulated snow depth at Obihiro Airport had reached 18 centimeters. Similarly, meteorological observatories in the Kushiro and Asahikawa regions also reported snowfall, both occurring about a month earlier than last year.

Sapporo City also faced its lowest temperatures since autumn began this year. At 1 p.m., the temperature at Sapporo International Ski Resort, located to the south of Sapporo City, dropped to 0.8 degrees Celsius. Staff at the ski resort captured actual footage of the snowfall and shared it on their Facebook fan page. Japanese netizens, upon seeing the photos, left comments exclaiming “Too early!” but also expressed excitement and anticipation for the upcoming winter.