Many places from northern to western Japan marked the coldest morning of the season on Monday.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says clear skies were seen over wide areas of the country. As there were almost no clouds to prevent heat from radiating from the ground into space, surface temperatures dropped early in the morning.

The coldest temperatures of the season were observed in 469 locations across the nation. That number represents about half of the agency's observation points.

A temperature of minus 14.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Sugadaira, Nagano Prefecture. That was the lowest temperature reported in the country on Monday.

Asahikawa City in Hokkaido recorded a temperature of minus 7.6 degrees. It was minus 2.8 degrees in Iwate Prefecture's Morioka City. The temperature dropped to 2.1 degrees in the cities of Nagoya and Tottori, 4 degrees in central Tokyo and 4.6 degrees in Osaka City.

The first frost and ice of the season were observed in the capitals of some prefectures. Toyama, Nara, Kyoto and Kanazawa were among those capital cities.

The agency is asking drivers to be on the alert for traffic disruptions caused by icy roads and the accumulation of snow.

Source: ANNnewsCH