Japan’s Mount Fuji is still snowless as of November 1. 

The country’s weather agency, in its 130 years of recordkeeping, has consistently observed snowfall on the mountain in October, but now it has yet to see “any measurable snow,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said. 

Rising temperatures this year have caused the delay, a forecaster at Kofu Local Meteorological told AFP. Yutaka Katsuta stressed that “Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, deterring cold air.” 

A warmer climate has engulfed many nations, including Japan, which has logged its hottest summer on record for two years straight, ​​reaching an average temperature 1.76 degrees Celsius above normal from June to August. 

The country’s highest mountain normally witnesses snowfall in early October to signal that winter has come. 

While we can’t fully attribute the delay of the mountain's snowcap formation to climate warming, scientists have predicted it will exacerbate the melting of snowcaps, among many other climate consequences. 

In 2023, snow began covering the peak on October 5.