Japan Data

Mount Fuji Still Snowless in November

Environment

The first snows typically settle on Mount Fuji in early October, but this year the famed peak remained snowless into November, a phenomenon never before seen since records began in 1894.
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Snow is yet to fall on Mount Fuji in 2024, setting a new record for its late arrival on Japan’s highest peak. In an average year, the first snow is seen on October 2—it was announced on September 30 in 2022 and October 5 in 2023—but failed to appear throughout October this year, meaning that the 3,776-meter mountain was snowless in November for the first time since records began in 1894. These records show that the earliest occurrence of first snow came on August 9 in 2008 and the latest on October 26 in 1955 and 2016.

The decision to announce the first snow of the year is based on whether snow has settled on the surface of the mountain as observed from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Kōfu Local Meteorological Office in Yamanashi Prefecture. Even if it is observed from Shizuoka Prefecture or local authorities at the foot of the mountain, it is not considered official.

First Snow on Mount Fuji (Compared with 2000)

Mount Fuji is not the only summit to experience the phenomenon. The first snowfall on Mount Asahidake (2,291 meters), Hokkaidō’s tallest mountain, was recorded on October 20 this year, the latest arrival since records began in 1888.

The Tateyama Range (3,015 meters) in Toyama Prefecture saw its first dusting on October 8 in 2023, but snow has yet to fall this year. Since records began in 1939, the first snow has only twice come in November: on November 2 in 2016 and November 9 in 1977.

Meanwhile, the Hakkōda Range (1,584 meters) in Aomori Prefecture recorded its first snow on October 20, which was one day later than average and one day earlier than in 2023.

As part of shifting weather conditions, cloud cover may lead to late reporting of snow that cannot be seen from the observatories, making it difficult to pinpoint global warming as a definitive cause of the late arrival of the season’s first snow. However, the record clearly shows that the first dustings in 2023 and 2024 are significantly later compared to 2000.

First Snow on Japan’s Mountains

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: A snowless Mount Fuji as seen from Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture on October 31, 2024. © AFP/Jiji.)

Mount Fuji climate snow