Record-breaking blizzard hits Hokkaido, Japan, causing about 7,000 people to be stranded at the airport.

According to reports from Japanese media, due to the record-breaking snowstorm on the 25th and 26th, 56 flights were canceled at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, and about 7,000 passengers were forced to stay overnight at the airport. Ground transportation around Sapporo city was severely affected. The Yomiuri Shimbun cited data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, reporting that as of 9 a.m. on the 26th, the central ward of Sapporo city had received 64 centimeters of snow in the past 48 hours, setting a record for the largest snowfall in the area since March 1999. The snowstorm caused severe disruption to operations at New Chitose Airport. The operator of New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido Airport Corporation, said that 56 flights were canceled on the 25th, and about 7,000 passengers had to stay overnight at the airport. According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 25th, someone posted on social media that there were more than 200 people waiting in line at the taxi stand at the airport, describing it as a disaster. According to Kyodo News, about 340 people stayed overnight in an underground passage near Sapporo station on the 25th. Ground transportation around Sapporo city was severely affected. According to Hokkaido Railway Company, over 500 train services were suspended on the 25th, including those to New Chitose Airport, as well as the routes from Sapporo to Asahikawa and Hakodate, affecting about 130,000 travelers.