heavy snowfall; white devil
Figurative term for a severe snowstorm or heavy snow, often personified as a 'white devil'. Used in weather reports and literary descriptions.
The heavy snowfall last night blanketed the town in snow.
The mountaineering party was caught in a white devil of a blizzard and went missing.
Compound of 白 (haku, 'white') and 魔 (ma, 'devil, demon'), literally 'white devil'. The term personifies heavy snowfall as a demonic force.