Mount Fuji breaks 130-year record for late snow following above-average summer
A long stretch of above-average temperatures is to blame.
Mount Fuji, Japan's most iconic peak at 3,776 metres, just set a new record.
It is normally covered in snow by early October but as of October 29, Fuji has remained snow-free this year, making it the longest stretch it has ever seen without snow since record-keeping began 130 years ago.
The previous latest first-snow date was October 26, recorded in both 1955 and 2016.
Snow is usually present on the mountain most of the year, except during climbing season from July to September.
According to Japan's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, the delay is due to above-average weather, which follows the hottest summer Japan has ever recorded.
An El Niño pattern and climate change are also to blame. These factors have helped raise Japan's average summer temperature by 1.76°C.
Header image: File photo of Mount Fuji in the summer. Dimitry B/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
