Record-breaking snowfall fell on Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido on Tuesday, disrupting traffic, causing airport closures and delaying deliveries

The Hokkaido prefectural government said record-breaking snowfall has been observed especially in the eastern regions of the island, including Obihiro and Kushiro, whose city offices received dozens of calls for help from drivers whose vehicles had stalled in the snow.

After almost cancelling a popular annual snow festival due to unseasonable January warmth, record-breaking snowfall has hit Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, disrupting traffic, causing airport closures and delaying deliveries.

An area of low pressure over the main island of Hokkaido in northern Japan caused record amounts of snow to fall in the region. There were considerable traffic disruptions and dozens of flight cancellations.