Japan's Mount Fuji finally sees snowfall on Nov. 6 after record-breaking time without iconic white cap

Snow has finally fallen on Mount Fuji on Nov. 6, to the relief and excitement of local authorities and tourists.

Japan's tallest mountain had seen a delay in attaining its snowcap this year, more than a month after the volcano's average snowfall formation on Oct. 2.

In 2023, Fuji's first snowfall took place on Oct. 5. 

According to the Japan Weather Association's weather forecast website, the atmospheric pressure around Japan will gradually become winter-like, due to strong cold winds moving from south to northern Japan.

Zooming into the Kanto region, the website stated that there is a possibility of snow in mountainous areas.

Excitement abuzz on social media

Locals took to sharing the first snowfall, which marks the beginning of winter, on social media platforms.

Social media user @goodandbadjapan posted on X at 5:55am on Nov. 6 (SGT) that "The snow has arrived on Mount Fuji."

Others in the Shizuoka prefecture of Japan have posted similar updates.

Delay in snowcap formation due to warmer weather

The delay in the active volcano's snowcap formation is attributed to the warm weather this year, forecaster Yutaka Katsuta of Kofu Local Meteorological Office shared with The Japan Times. 

Katsuta said that climate change could have impacted the delay in snow formation, reported The Guardian.

In July, Japan had experienced its hottest summer ever recorded since 1989, leaving both locals and tourists alike to experience the wrath of the heat waves.

Explaining that high temperatures in the summer had continued into September, deterring cold air, Katsuta shared that this has beaten the past record of Oct. 26 as the latest recorded date of snowfall — which had occurred twice before in 1955 and 2016.

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Top image from Google Maps