Hailstorm leaves huge piles of ice in Tokyo

A strong hailstorm brought massive amounts of hail to Tokyo and surrounding areas on Tuesday afternoon, leaving some streets coated in white ice, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

As much as 10 centimeters of hail was piled up in some parts of Japan's capital city and its surrounding areas, including Chofu and Mitaka, it said.

The hail didn't cause too much major damage. The most obvious damage was a lot of leaves that had been stripped from trees and stuck to the ground.

Some streets were blocked with thick layers of hailstones and residents have to use shovels to remove them from around their homes.

Weather officials said the weather is expected to improve but remain unpredictable until the weekend.