Whipping winds and a savage blizzard transformed northern Japan into an ice-bound wasteland Wednesday, severely hampering life in Hokkaido and along the Japan Sea coasts. Rail lines froze over, skies stayed grounded, and communities braced for more onslaughts from the deep freeze.
Data from JR Hokkaido reveals 50 trains axed since Tuesday under assaults of high winds, flying snow, and brutal cold. At New Chitose Airport, 82 flights met the chopping block, joined by delay-plagued others. Warnings proliferated about whiteout endurance and snow bank threats until Thursday’s first light, heightening fears for broader mobility meltdowns.
Experts predict 35 m/s wind speeds on southern Japan Sea edges, 30 m/s in northern Japan Sea expanses and Pacific coasts. Oceanic theaters match the intensity, eyeing 35 m/s blasts in eastern Pacific and southern Okhotsk Sea. The forecast calls for 40 cm snow dumps in the next day across northern and southern Japan Sea vicinities.
China’s cold siege mirrors Japan’s, with national forecasts heralding 10 days of temp plunges, fierce winds, and snow in Inner Mongolia and northeast. Deviations of 2-5°C below norms stem from cold air barrages. Inner Mongolia and Gansu face sandstorm specters, prompting calls for wheat crop defenses, greenhouse hardening, and animal shelter upgrades against the icy peril.