Tokyo marked a record high temperature for November on Tuesday, rewriting the previous record set 100 years ago, the Meteorological Agency said.
The mercury hit 27.5 degrees Celsius just past noon, topping the November 1923 mark of 27.3 C.
This record comes amid an unusually warm autumn and follows an especially hot summer, not only in Tokyo but across Japan.
On Monday, the temperature in Tokyo reached 25.1 C, marking a record 142 days of the year topping 25 C. The city of Kumamoto saw a high of 25.8 degrees the same day, the 177th day of summer-like weather this year — the most since records began in 1890.
According to the Meteorological Agency, 90 locations across Japan set new all-time high-temperature records for November on Monday, with 31.3 C recorded on Miyagijima island in Okinawa Prefecture and 29.4 C marked in Kamiichi, Toyama Prefecture.
The weather agency said that due to the weak influence of cold air, many regions — including eastern and western Japan — could continue to experience higher-than-usual temperatures in November and December. Northern Japan could also experience below-average snowfall, it said.
October’s average temperature for the nation was the ninth highest since records began in 1898, with record highs set for three consecutive months through September, the agency added.
By region, Hokkaido’s October average was 1.2 C higher than usual, the highest since records began in 1946, it said.
Meanwhile, an out-of-season peak bloom of sunflowers was observed in Chiba Prefecture over the weekend due to the heat, the Tokyo Shimbun reported. In Tokyo, ginkgo trees that are known for their golden fall foliage — like those at Showa Memorial Park and the the Meiji Jingu Gaien park district — have yet to turn yellow.