The residents of Tokyo were surprised of the first November snow on Thursday.
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, experiences on Thursday the first November snow after 54 years.
The residents were taken by surprise because the temperatures around this time of the year usually range from 10C to 17C.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the snowfall was caused by an unusual cold front which prevail over the city of Tokyo, however, above-freezing temperatures kept the snow from sticking.
Usually, a jet of cold air is observed in the middle of winter will travel southward over the Kanto region, and is likely to cause heavy snow in mountain areas in the Kanto and Koshin regions.
It is expected that snowfall will be 2 cm deep in most in Koshin, 15 cm in mountain areas in northern Kanto, 10 cm in a range from Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, to Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, and 5 cm on the Kanto plain.
The unexpected snowfall may cause longer commuting trips for the residents because of public transport delays.
Photos show that residents slogged to work wearing heavy coats and boots in a city far more accustomed to earthquakes than to snow.
The agency said that snow was observed in the Tokyo metropolitan area Thursday, warning transportation services in the Kanto region could be disturbed.
According to the Japan Times, the Japan Meteorological Agency also warned the public of experiencing possible icy roads, snow on electric wires and trees, and the collapse of plastic greenhouses.
JMA added that the snowfall marked 40 days earlier than last year. It is the first such dusting in November in 54 years. If the snow accumulates on the ground, it would be the first time on record.
Though Tokyo does see snow at least once a year, it usually falls in January or February and rarely accumulates for long.
Based on the records, the last time snow fell in November in Tokyo was in 1962. During this time, John F. Kennedy was President of the United States and singer Bob Dylan – who this year won the Nobel Literature Prize – had released his debut album just months before.