The snowiest places on Earth

When you think of the snowiest place on Earth where do you think it is? Russia? Alaska? Canada? Antarctica? Did you know the three snowiest places on this planet are in Japan?

Located at the top of the Hakkoda Mountains, Aomori City receives on average about 26 feet of snow a year. Located in Northern Japan this city of 288,000 people is the snowiest place on Earth. It also received the heaviest single snowfall in the world in February 1945 with a whopping 82 inches. The city is situated where different wind currents come together and lifts the air which cools it leading to quick cloud formation and intense snowfall. During the warmer months this can lead to thick fog making Aomori Airport one of the most dangerous in the world to fly into and out of. An abnormally cold wind called the Yamasae can blow in the summer leading to poor harvests and abnormally cold weather.

Sapporo is second, coming in at 17 feet of snow a year. The city, the fifth largest in Japan and the largest on the northern island of Hokkaido, draws nearly ten million tourists a year and is famous for its annual snow festival. Its heaviest single snowfall was 64 inches in 1939. A Siberian High develops over Eurasia and is met by an Aleutian Low and they meet on Hokkaido producing mild summers and snowy winters. The Snow Festival is held all throughout the city with the main site being Odori Park and features snow and ice sculptures built by members of the Japanese Defense Force. You’ve probably seen some of the pictures and you’ve probably heard of the city as it is most famous for Sapporo Beer, Japan’s oldest.

Toyama comes in third at 413 inches per year. The city of 418,000 is located on Central Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The prefecture has hot, humid summers and cool winters with abundant precipitation in the summer and winter.

Canada comes in fourth and fifth with St. John’s, Newfoundland (131 inches) and Quebec City, Quebec (124 inches). The United States gets on the board at sixth with Syracuse, New York (124 inches). Saguenay, Quebec (123 inches) comes in at seventh. Akita, Japan (107 inches is eighth, followed by Rochester, New York (99 inches) and rounding out the top ten is Buffalo, New York (94 inches). Erie is Pennsylvania’s snowiest locale coming in at about 79 inches thanks to lake effect snow systems.

Suffice it to say southcentral Pennsylvania does not rank high on the list but snow and its removal is still a concern here. Michael B. Stoner Inc. provides expert snow removal and control services along the I-81 corridor from Chambersburg to Harrisburg as well as the Middletown and Hershey areas. If you are looking for someone to remove snow or ice from your place of business don’t wait until the flakes start falling! Give us a call us at 717-245-2225 or fill out our contact form. We have been clearing the snow from Central Pennsylvania for 30 years so we have the equipment and the know-how to get it done right the first time. Winter will be here before you know it so don’t wait!