Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji is still without a snowcap – the latest it has been without one since records began 130 years ago.
The peaks of the world-famous mountain – Japan’s tallest at 12,388 feet – are typically dusted in snow by early October.
However, as of today, the summit remains bare, triggering fears about the impact of the climate crisis on one of the nation’s most beloved landmarks.
The first snowfall traditionally signals the arrival of winter, following the end of the summer climbing season, which this year concluded on September 10.
Snowcaps usually start forming on Mount Fuji at the start of October, and last year, snowfall was recorded on October 5, according to Japan’s weather agency.
However, public broadcaster NHK reported that much of it had melted away by early November due to unusually warm temperatures.
Japan’s Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which is responsible for announcing the first snowfall on Fuji each year since its founding in 1894, has yet to make a similar announcement for 2024, citing unseasonably warm weather.
Speaking yesterday, Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at KLMO, said: “Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, deterring cold air.”
Shinichi Yanagi, a meteorological officer at the Kofu office, told CNN last week: “Because of the persistent high temperatures in Japan since summer, combined with rainfall, there has been no snowfall.”
The previous latest date of October 26 was recorded in both 1955 and 2016, Mr Yanagi said.
This year, Japan also experienced its hottest summer on record since data collection began in 1898, the Meteorological Agency reported in September.
Average temperatures from June to August were 1.76 degrees Celsius above the norm, exceeding the previous record of 1.08 degrees set in 2010, according to the agency.
Japan remained unseasonably warm well into autumn, with at least 74 cities recording temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher in early October, according to research by the non-profit group Climate Central.
Climate Central found that Japan’s unusual October heat was made three times more likely as a result of the climate crisis.
Japan’s extreme summer heat was part of a global trend. This summer shattered worldwide heat records for the second year in a row, with 2024 on course to be the hottest year on record.
The natural climate pattern El Nino contributed to the increase in temperatures, along with human factors including fossil fuel emissions.
Scientists have long warned the world must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change.
A recent study from January revealed that the climate crisis has significantly reduced snowpack across most parts of the Northern Hemisphere during the course of the last 40 years.
Later snowfall on Mount Fuji could be a sign of things to come, with warmer winters affecting snow cover, tourism, local economies, food and water supplies, and even allergies.
Mount Fuji, which straddles Japan’s Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures is a UNESCO World Heritage site.