A snow sculpture is seen at a venue for the Sapporo Snow Festival in the city’s Chuo Ward, Feb. 4, 2026. (Mainichi/Kenichi Mito)
SAPPORO — Due to warm air flowing in from the south, Hokkaido on Feb. 4 experienced weather comparable to that of March or April in many areas, but the rising temperatures also led to accidents where snow fell from roofs and other high places.
At around 12:50 p.m., an emergency caller reported, “There was falling snow, and part of a body is visible in the snow” at a house in Sapporo’s Higashi Ward. According to the Sapporo Higashi Police Station, resident Sakae Kobukata, 81, was clearing snow alone from the first-floor roof of his two-story house when he apparently fell. He was later confirmed dead at the hospital.
According to Hokkaido Prefectural Police, by 5 p.m. on Feb. 4, there had been eight emergency calls in Sapporo related to snow sliding off roofs and elsewhere. Authorities are urging people to avoid standing under eaves and to clear snow in groups.
High temperatures on Feb. 4 included 7.2 degrees Celsius in Tomakomai, 7.1 C in Hakodate, 6.8 C in Chitose, 5 C in Sapporo, 4.1 C in Kushiro, and 2.9 C in Asahikawa. The Japanese weather agency’s Sapporo Regional Headquarters forecasts that on Feb. 5, high temperatures will be about 2 C above average, mainly in central and southern Hokkaido. Locals should continue to be cautious of falling snow.
(Japanese original by Yukika Wada, Hokkaido News Department)
AloJapan.com