(CLO) November is just a few days away, but Japan's iconic Mount Fuji still has no snow, marking the latest day without snow since records began 130 years ago.
Japan's highest peak is usually covered in snow in early October, but as of October 29, the peak was still bare, raising alarm bells about the impact of the climate crisis on one of Japan's most beloved landmarks.
Typically, the first snowfall signaling the arrival of winter comes after the summer climbing season, which this year ends on September 10.
Snow begins to form on Mount Fuji on average on October 2, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Last year, snow was recorded on October 5, but most of it melted by early November due to warmer temperatures.
Japan's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which has announced the first snowfall on Mount Fuji every year since its establishment in 1894, has yet to announce it this year due to unseasonably warm weather.
Mount Fuji seen from Yamanashi Prefecture on August 10. Photo: Stringer
"There has been no snowfall due to the high temperatures that have persisted in Japan since summer and the rain," said Shinichi Yanagi, a meteorologist at the Kofu office. The lack of snow as of October 29 broke the previous record of October 26, set in 1955 and 2016.
In September, the Meteorological Agency said this year Japan recorded its hottest summer since records began in 1898.
The agency said the average temperature from June to August was 1.76 degrees Celsius above normal, surpassing the previous record of 1.08 degrees Celsius set in 2010.
Japan remained unusually warm in autumn, with at least 74 cities recording temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or higher in the first week of October, according to analysis from non-profit research group Climate Central.
Climate Central found that Japan's unusual October heatwave was three times more likely due to the climate crisis.
A new study in January found that the climate crisis has reduced snowfall in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere over the past 40 years.
Later snowfall on Mount Fuji could be a worrying sign for the world's future, as warmer winters impact snow, tourism, local economies , food and water supplies, and even allergies.
Located between Japan's Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, the 3,776-meter-high Mount Fuji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of Japan. It is usually covered in snow for most of the year until the annual climbing season begins in July.
Hoai Phuong (according to CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nui-phu-si-van-chua-co-tuyet-roi-pha-vo-ky-luc-130-nam-post319155.html
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