Mt. Fuji on October 30, 2023. Image: NASA Earth Observatory by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
On October 26, 2024, Mt. Fuji matched a historic mark by reaching the latest date in the year without new snowfall. The previous mark was set in 1955 and matched in 2016, but this year saw more than another week go by before Mt. Fuji finally saw its first snowfall on November 6, 2024.
If skiing or riding in Japan is your cup of tea, the early season outlook isn’t all that great. According to Snowbrains, “snowfall at the base of Niseko United was 22.5 feet (686 centimeters), 12 feet (365 centimeters) less than average” back in 2016 when local powder hounds had to wait this long for snow to start falling. You can see where this is going if the historically slow start to this season is any indication of what’s to come.
That first bit of snow was a welcome sight to many on November 6, making headlines around the globe after going the longest period without snow since records began 130 years ago. Images were tough to come by right away as cloud cover obstructed clear views of Fuji’s summit. It wasn’t until November 7 that the first images of any powder had emerged and by November 9, satellite images provided by NASA confirmed it had all already melted away. So, as mentioned, this doesn’t bode well for the upcoming season.
Mt. Fuji on November 9, 2024. Image: NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Japan had just seen heavier rainfall than usual this past July, but that came in the midst of a stretch between June-August that was also exceptionally warm. The average temperature during that time was 1.76 degrees Celsius (3.17 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 1991–2020 average, according to JMA weather station observations. That ties summer 2023 as the country’s hottest since comparable records began in 1898, and they match a trend seen across the globe this year. Earlier this month, Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said 2024 will likely be the planet’s hottest year on record.
