ASAHIKAWA, Japan (Kyodo) — The season’s first snowcap was confirmed on Mt. Asahidake, the highest peak on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, with temperatures at 1,500 meters dropping to those usually recorded at the end of the month, the Asahikawa Local Meteorological Office said Friday.
Snow was detected using radar and the Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System. Until last year, first snowcaps were confirmed by sight.
Last year, the 2,291-meter mountain located in Daisetsuzan National Park, received its first snow on Oct. 9.
Snow was also confirmed around Sugatami Station, located at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters, according to the operator of the Daisetsuzan Asahidake Ropeway, which connects the foot of the mountain to halfway up.
Trails in the area were blanketed with a thin layer of snow, allowing visitors to view snow and autumnal changes to the flora simultaneously, the operator said.
The first snow of the season on 1,984-meter Mt. Kurodake, also located in the park, was observed in the early hours the same day, according to another ropeway operator.
AloJapan.com