This season, Japan's famous Mount Fuji has not received any snow, setting a 130-year record.
As of Tuesday, the summit of Japan's highest mountain, which is typically covered in snow by early October, was barren, highlighting the alarming effects of the climate crisis on one of the nation's most cherished symbols.
Winter officially begins with the first snowfall. It comes after the summer climbing season, which concluded on September 10 of this year.
According to Japan's weather agency, snowcaps typically appear on Fuji on October 2 and last year on October 5. However, national broadcaster NHK reported that the majority of the snow melted away in early November due to moderate temperatures.
Due to unusually warm weather, Japan's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which has been announcing the first snowfall atop Fuji every year since its founding in 1894, has not yet done so this year.
"Since Japan has been experiencing high temperatures since the summer and it has been raining, there hasn't been any snowfall," said Shinichi Yanagi, a
According to the EPA, the average temperature from June to August was 1.76 degrees Celsius higher than average, breaking the previous record of 1.08 degrees set in 2010.
According to statistics from the non-profit research group Climate Central, Japan continued to be abnormally warm into the fall, with at least 74 cities reporting temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or above in the first week of October.
According to Climate Central, the climate crisis increased the likelihood of Japan's exceptional October heat by three times.
The intense summer heat in Japan wasn't unique to the country. For the second year in a row, this summer set global heat records, and 2024 is set to become the warmest year on record.
In addition to human-caused factors like burning fossil fuels, which is the primary cause of the climate catastrophe, the natural climate pattern El Niño also contributed to the temperature increase.
Scientists have long cautioned that in order to prevent the most disastrous effects of climate change, global warming must be kept to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
According to a recent study published in January, most regions of the Northern Hemisphere have seen less snowfall over the past 40 years due to the climate issue.
Given that warmer winters affect snow, tourism, the local economy, food and water supplies, and even allergies, later snowfall on Mount Fuji may be a concerning sign of the direction the globe is taking.
Mount Fuji, which is 3,776 meters high, spans the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka in Japan.