Due to the rapid intensification of a low-pressure system, Hokkaido and other parts of northern Japan were hit by severe snowstorms and strong winds on December 15.

Wind gusts reached over 40 meters per second in Nakashibetsu in eastern Hokkaido and surpassed 30 meters per second in Abashiri and Kushiro.

The 24-hour snowfall reached about 70 centimeters in parts of Hokkaido, marking record-breaking amounts for December.

The storm system is gradually moving away, and conditions are expected to improve soon.

But traffic disruptions caused by snowstorms are likely to continue in Hokkaido until around the evening of December 15.

Authorities are also urging people in the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions in the northwestern and central parts of Japan to be on alert for strong winds and high waves.