Moscow –
The extreme winter wave left the East Asia-Russia region almost motionless. Snow paralyzed the transportation system until flights were closed.
Russia experienced its worst snowfall in 60 years covering the region, covering roads, houses and vehicles with several meters of snow.
The snowstorm also spread to various corners of Asia. Shanghai, which rarely gets snow, suddenly turned white, while the northwestern region of Japan was hit by heavy snowfall and strong winds, forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled.
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Transportation activities in a number of countries have been disrupted, from closed roads in China to plane passengers being stuck at Japanese airports.
Quoting The IndependentFriday (23/1/2026) experts said this extreme weather was triggered by the influx of cold air waves from the Arctic. Climate scientist Theodore Keeping explained that this phenomenon occurs due to disturbances in the jet stream in the atmosphere.
“There are two waves of cold air coming simultaneously from the Arctic because of waves in the jet stream,” said Keeping.
He added that the weakening of the Arctic polar vortex makes it easier for cold air to descend into Russia and Asia.
Meanwhile, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia’s Far East, extraordinary snowfall left building doors tightly closed and cars buried. In the first two weeks of January alone, more than two meters of snow fell, after the region previously received 3.7 meters of snow throughout December.
Four-wheel drive vehicles were overwhelmed. Residents had to dig narrow paths between walls of snow to get out of their homes. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a port city in the region, residents were seen walking on mounds of snow as high as traffic lights, some even jumping from piles of snow just looking for entertainment.
Polina Tuichieva, a local resident and blogger, said, describing the condition of her city which is around 6,800 kilometers from Moscow. The same weather system moved south and brought rare snowfall to Shanghai.
Local authorities warned cold temperatures could last at least three days. The last time the city experienced heavy snowfall was in January 2018.
“This is the first time I have seen snow falling so heavily in Shanghai,” said student there, Li Meng.
The change in weather feels very contrasting. A week earlier, Shanghai enjoyed temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius, even making the osmanthus trees bloom.
Chinese state media reported sharp temperature drops also occurred in areas south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. In Guizhou Province, temperatures are expected to drop to 10-14 degrees Celsius.
Frozen roads forced the closure of some major roads in 12 provinces, including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang.
In Japan, heavy snowfall and strong winds disrupted travel along the northwest coast, just as the ski season was in full swing.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that extreme weather would last until January 25 and appealed to residents to avoid non-essential travel.
As a result, ANA Holdings canceled 56 flights affecting around 3,900 passengers. Japan Airlines also canceled 37 flights with more than 2,200 passengers affected. Most of the cancellations occurred at New Chitose Airport, near Sapporo, Hokkaido.
(upd/wsw)
