While some parts of the United States are already feeling the fall weather, Japan is still feeling the lingering effects of the summer heat. The summit of Mount Fuji has yet to see any snowfall this year. This is the latest the summit has been without snow since snowfall records began in 1894.
Typically, Mount Fuji has a dusting of snow by early October. Last year, the first snowfall arrived on Oct. 5, and the average start date for the snowcap is Oct. 2, according to The Guardian.
Before this year, the latest first snowfall on the summit was recorded on Oct. 26 in both 1955 and 2016.
Experts described this year’s summer in Japan as “sweltering.” It tied with 2023 as the hottest summer on record. Something scientists partially attribute to climate change.
Even though temperatures have cooled somewhat in October, they remain higher than normal. These abnormally high temperatures have prevented the conditions needed for snowfall to begin forming at Japan’s highest peak.
