Tokyo
Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic peak, has observed its first snowcap of the season on Thursday, marking the latest occurrence in 130 years of recorded history. The snow was confirmed at 6:15 a.m. local time by the Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which tracks the annual event.
This year’s first snowfall on the 3,776-meter mountain surpassed the previous latest record of October 26, set in 1955 and 2016, making it the latest snowfall since records began in 1894. Temperatures at the summit had dropped to minus 8.4 degrees Celsius by 7 a.m. local time.
Although snow had been reported from various locations the day before, the Kofu observatory could not confirm it due to cloud cover. Meteorological officials noted that October’s rainfall, which did not result in snow, was part of an unusually warm period at the mountain’s summit.
Historically, Mount Fuji’s first snowfall typically occurs by early October, with 2023’s snowfall on October 5.
