According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, snowfall on Mount Fuji (Japan) on November 6 lasted only a few short days.
This news channel, established in 1999, made comparisons and conclusions based on two images. One is a photograph taken by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 Earth observation satellite on November 9. The comparative image was taken on October 30, 2023, by the OLI-2 on Landsat 9.
Mount Fuji captured on November 9 and October 30, 2023. (Image: Wanmei Liang/NASA).
This year, snowfall on Mount Fuji was recorded at 5 out of 10, with ice crystals still present 25 days later. However, this year, the phenomenon lasted only a mere 3 days.
“The first snow on the volcanic peak at the beginning of November clearly disappeared within a few days, marking the final snowfall after 130 years. This unprecedented delay followed a summer that recorded record-high temperatures across Japan, along with an unusually warm autumn,” wrote author Lindsey Doermann in a post on November 19.
According to observations from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the average summer temperature in Japan from June to August was 1.76 degrees Celsius higher than the average for the years 1991-2020.
This figure is similar to that of the summer of 2023, which was the hottest summer in the country since 1898. Above-average temperatures continued to be recorded into the autumn season.
Snow on Mount Fuji on November 6. (Image: @goodandbadjapan).
According to a report by Climate Central, across Japan, over 120 million people experienced an “unusual heat wave” in the first week of October, with more than 70 cities in the Land of the Rising Sun recording temperatures of 30°C or higher.
This phenomenon was also observed at the summit of Mount Fuji and is believed to be the reason preventing snow from falling at the expected time.
The image of Mount Fuji, starkly bare of snow, feels strange to visitors as this landmark is typically covered in snow year-round. During the climbing season (July to September), around 220,000 tourists trek over 3,700 meters to catch the sunrise. The majestic conical shape of the mountain seen from afar has also inspired many authors, artists, poets, and tourism professionals.
