TOKYO, OCT 28 – Japan’s Mount Fuji remains snow-free as of today, the weather agency said.
The volcano’s snow began to form on October 2nd on average, and last year snow was first detected in the area on October 5th.
However, due to the warm weather, there will be no snow on Japan’s highest mountain this year, said Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at the Kofu Local Meteorological Office.
This marks the latest date since comparative data became available in 1894, he said, beating the previous record of October 26 where it was seen twice, in 1955 and then in 2016.
“Temperatures rose this summer, and those temperature conditions continued into September, preventing cold air from forming snow,” Katsuta told AFP.
He agreed that climate change may have an effect on the delay in snow formation.
Japan’s summer this year was the hottest on record, equaling the level previously recorded in 2023 where it was caused by extreme heat waves driven by climate change that hit many parts of the world.
Mount Fuji is covered in snow year-round, but during the July to September climbing season, more than 220,000 visitors descend the steep rocky slopes. – AFP
