First November Snow in Tokyo, Japan in Over 50 Years

Talk about a rare sight over the skies of Tokyo, Japan on Thursday morning local time – snow, a sight that hadn’t been seen in the month of November in the city for over 50 years.

A rare snowfall blanketed parts of the city of nearly 40 million on Thursday as unusually cold weather plunged into Tokyo.

Train delays were reported on Thursday as the snowfall slowed down commutes around the region. Despite the snow, operations at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport were mostly normal on Thursday.

An unusually sharp dip in the jet stream filtered in enough cold air to bring coastal Japan a rare snow, particularly rare for so early in the winter season. Tokyo only averages around four inches of snow in a year, and most of the limited snowfall takes place in January and February.

Tokyo’s humid, subtropical climate could be compared relatively closely to American cities like Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina or Dallas, Texas.

Accumulations were only expected to mount up to an inch or two on colder surfaces in the city proper, but higher terrain outside of Tokyo could see far more snowfall from this system.

For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Chris Bianchi – Images: Courtesy of EarthCam