Overview
- The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced the first snow on October 23 after confirming a snowy summit.
- The onset was 21 days later than the long-term average date of October 2 following persistent late-season warmth aloft.
- This year ranks as the third-latest start in about 130 years of observations, occurring 15 days earlier than last year’s record-late November 7.
- Observers visually confirmed the cover around 6 a.m., with the summit temperature dropping to minus 6.4°C at 1 a.m. and a light whitening visible from Kofu.
- Snow likely began intermittently on October 22 as rain clouds shrouded the peak and upper-level cold moved in, and Fuji-Yoshida declared its seasonal “first snow makeup.”