TOKYO, January 7 (Sputnik) — Over 80 domestic flights have been cancelled in northern Japan due to heavy snow and high winds, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday.
Ali Nippon Airways cancelled 39 flights connecting the major cities of Sapporo and Aomori, while Japan Airlines cancelled 32 flights. The Skymark Airlines company also grounded 8 flights to Sapporo from different parts of the country.
Japanese meteorologists have said that strong winds are expected in coastal areas across the country at least until Thursday and that heavy snow is likely to continue in northwestern Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido.
Those are not snow covered bags, It's a line of people waiting outside the Apple store in Sapporo Japan. pic.twitter.com/chQfeyqFn4
— PostSecret (@postsecret) January 6, 2015
In certain areas, wind speeds reached 131 feet per second and sea waves were are as high as 26 feet.