Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.Without the images, it might be hard to wrap your mind around the amount of snow blanketing the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency extended its heavy snowfall warning to around Feb. 9, mainly on the Sea of Japan side, after snow covered several municipalities on Feb. 6.

You've heard of lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes. Check out what a larger sea and bitter cold air helped to generate in parts of Japan.