Heavy snow is pounding many parts of Japan, with the severe conditions expected to continue through Sunday. Weather officials are warning of avalanches, traffic disruptions, power outages, falling trees and other snow-related incidents.

Heavy snow blanketed parts of Japan on Saturday (February 8), disrupting air and ground traffic. Authorities have warned people to stay vigilant for avalanches and broken trees, as more snow is expected to fall in wide areas of the country.

The strongest cold air mass of the season has intensified snow in many parts of Japan. Record snowfalls were observed in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, as well as the Pacific side, where snow is usually scarce.

Heavy snowfall has battered a wide area of Japan, especially the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan coast. This video shows blizzard conditions in the city of Sakai, Fukui Prefecture. RESTRICTIONS AND USAGE TERMS: Please credit “@mamou7629 via Spectee”.

Residents in Hokkaido, Japan became stuck in their homes after a record-breaking 4 feet of snow fell in the region in just 12 hours on February 4. Air travel was severely disrupted, over 370 schools were closed and dozens of drivers were stranded in the winter storm.