HEAVY SNOW IN JAPAN AND US SNARL COMMUTER TRAFFIC|大風雪侵襲美日 陸空交通受阻

Both the United States and Japan experienced more than their fair share of winter storm this past weekend. For the first time in 29 years, Japan's Sapporo City received heavy snow mid-December, whereas in the US, heavy snow across Minnesota and the northeast severely disrupted air and land traffic. The arrival of winter storm made the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin starting to snow. The city of Chicago prepared themselves ahead and started snow plowing. ==CHARLES WILLIAMS, Commissioner of the Dept. of Streets Sanitation==f According to the weather models, we believe the storm will drop several inches of snow over the Chicago land area beginning today and continuing until late tomorrow evening. The department has activated a phase two so we will have 210 snow plows beginning at 4:00 p.m. today. Due to the winter storm, one ski resort in Nevada had an avalanche, one skier is missing. Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport had canceled over 1,600 flights. Oregon's Interstate Highway 84 had shut down. The National Weather Service stated, the winter storm is moving east, snowing will continue till December 14. Also, Japan's Hokkaido had heavy snows; Sapporo City had snow accumulation of 65 centimeters, made the first mid-December snowing record in 29 years. The New Chitose International Airport canceled 181 flights, forced nearly 1,500 passengers waited at the lobby area. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 受到冬季風暴影響，美國從當地11號開始，愛荷華、密西根、明尼蘇達、南達科達和威斯康辛的部分地區，開始下起大雪。芝加哥市也提前動員，進行除雪作業。 ==芝加哥街道與公共衛生部門委員 查爾斯威廉== 根據天氣模型 我們相信暴風雪將會 從今天起直到明天晚間 持續在芝加哥當地降雪達幾英吋 部門應對已提升到第二階段 將會有210台除雪機 在下午四點開始作業 因為大風雪，內華達州一間滑雪度假村，一度雪崩，造成一名滑雪客失蹤。芝加哥歐海爾機場與中途國際機場，前後取消超過1600航班，俄勒岡州84號州際公路的主要路段，也遭到關閉。 美國國家氣象局表示，冬季風暴預計會持續向東移動，大雪預估將會下到14號為止。 除了美國，日本北海道也迎來大雪。札幌市連續降雪，積雪高達65公分，創下29年來，首度在12月上旬下大雪的紀錄。新千歲機場週末兩天有181航班停飛，約1500名旅客，只能露宿機場大廳，等降雪和緩後，候補機位。 記者 陳詩童 報導