TOKYO, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Snow fell in Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday for the first time in November in 54 years.
It was the first time snow accumulated on the ground in Tokyo in the month since records were first collected in 1875.
The first snow began falling in central Tokyo at 6:15 a.m. -- 40 days earlier than normal, according to Koyodo news agency.
Snow also fell in Yokohama and other major cities in eastern Japan.
The snowfall was only listed as as a "small accumulation" in Tokyo but it disrupted traffic and increased demand for electricity by 95 percent of capacity with Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.
Injuries were reported in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. At least nine people in Tokyo were injured in falls, police said.
In Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, a 1-year-old girl fell into a drainage ditch while family members were removing snow outside their house, according to police. She was listed in critical condition.
East Japan Railway Co. said some service was suspended as snow-laden tree branches covered the tracks. Subway systems in Tokyo also experienced delays.
Temperatures dropped to a record low in many locations. In the town of Nakashibetsu, Hokkaido, the mercury hit about 1 degree Fahrenheit while Tokyo's Edogawa Ward recorded 33 degrees.
Experts said Arctic air was penetrating middle latitudes and being exposed to an atmospheric low with a front moving eastward off Japan's Pacific coasts.
The expected snowfall over a 24-hour period through was less than an inch in lowlands of the region, including most parts of Tokyo.
