AP: Mount Fuji is still without its iconic snowcap in November for the first time in 130 years
https://apnews.com/article/japan-mt-fuji-snowless-climate-change-82e3918efb149a5caf7865eca3c8baf8Mount Fuji is still without its iconic snowcap in November for the first time in 130 years
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Updated 9:43 AM EST, November 5, 2024
TOKYO (AP) Japans iconic Mount Fuji, known for its snowcap forming around this time of the year, is still snowless in November for the first time in 130 years, presumably because of the unusually warm temperatures in the past few weeks.
The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as of Tuesday breaks the previous record set on Oct. 26, 2016, meteorological officials said.
Usually, the 3,776-meter- (nearly 12,300-foot-) high mountain has sprinkles of snow falling on its summit starting Oct. 2, about a month after the summertime hiking season there ends. Last year, snow fell on the mountain on Oct. 5, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, or JMA.
The snowless Mt. Fuji has captured attention on social media. People posted photos showing the bare mountain, some expressing surprise and others concerned over climate change.