"It wasn’t until October 29th this year that snow fell on Mt Fuji, breaking a 130-year record for the latest snowfall on the iconic volcano," -- Leo Pyskacek, 6th grade
It wasn’t until October 29th this year that snow fell on Mt Fuji, breaking a 130-year record for the latest snowfall on the iconic volcano. A possible reason for this late snowfall could be that the average summer temperature was much higher this year than others. From June to August 2024, the temperature was 1.76 degrees Celsius (3.17 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 1991–2020 Average. According to news reports, Mount Fuji’s summit was also experiencing high temperatures, which prevented early-season precipitation from falling as snow.
When snow did fall at this historic geographical site, the southwestern side could see it but The Japan Meteorological Agency’s Kofu Office, which is on the other side of the mountain and has been in charge of announcing snowfall on Mt Fuji since 1984, couldn’t see snow because of cloudy weather, so the snowfall wasn’t officially reported.
The previous day, the snowless mountain gained attention on social media, raising concerns for the coming years. People shared photos of the exposed mountain, with some showing surprise and others expressing concern about climate change.
The previous record for late snowfall was set on October 26, 2016, which had raised environmental concerns. Rising global temperatures could be linked to climate change.
The lack of snow has impacted the amount of tourists coming to Japan, but with the snow back, the amount of visitors has stabilized again. “Maria Gabriel, a visitor from Texas, came to Japan with plans to see the sacred mountain. She told Reuters, "It's beautiful with the snow, and that was kind of what our expectations were coming (to Japan)," she said” Tom Bateman and Mariko Katsumura said in their article
Late Snow on Japan’s Mount Fuji Sets a Record. Evidently so, a snowless mountain was far from what tourists expected.
When snow did fall at this historic geographical site, the southwestern side could see it but The Japan Meteorological Agency’s Kofu Office, which is on the other side of the mountain and has been in charge of announcing snowfall on Mt Fuji since 1984, couldn’t see snow because of cloudy weather, so the snowfall wasn’t officially reported.
The previous day, the snowless mountain gained attention on social media, raising concerns for the coming years. People shared photos of the exposed mountain, with some showing surprise and others expressing concern about climate change.
The previous record for late snowfall was set on October 26, 2016, which had raised environmental concerns. Rising global temperatures could be linked to climate change.
The lack of snow has impacted the amount of tourists coming to Japan, but with the snow back, the amount of visitors has stabilized again. “Maria Gabriel, a visitor from Texas, came to Japan with plans to see the sacred mountain. She told Reuters, "It's beautiful with the snow, and that was kind of what our expectations were coming (to Japan)," she said” Tom Bateman and Mariko Katsumura said in their article
Late Snow on Japan’s Mount Fuji Sets a Record. Evidently so, a snowless mountain was far from what tourists expected.
