The Japan Meteorological Agency said Thursday that Hokkaido has seen its first snow of the season, three weeks earlier than normal.

According to the agency, snow fell in Obihiro at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. The agency said the snow settled as far afield as neighboring Memuro. Fuji TV reported that snow has also begun to settle on the Nakayama Toge mountain pass on the border between Sapporo city and Kimobetsu, and several other mountain passes throughout Hokkaido have already been closed due to snow.

The agency says this year's first snowfall, thought to have been ushered in by a recent typhoon, has arrived 22 days earlier than average and 33 days earlier than last year's.

Local authorities are warning that snow is likely to continue to settle in the area and are calling on drivers to beware of ice on mountain roads.

© Japan Today