It's not official yet but Mount Fuji gets its trademark snowcap after the longest delay in 130 years

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Mount Fuji finally got its trademark snowcap early on Wednesday, more than a month after it normally would and after setting a record for the most-delayed snowfall in 130 years.

The first snowfall on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, could be seen from the southwestern side of the mountain, according to the Shizuoka branch of the Japan Meteorological Agency.

But the JMA's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which is on the other side of the mountain and has been in charge of making the announcement since 1984, still could not see the snow due to cloudy weather — meaning it's not official yet.

The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji on Tuesday broke the previous record set on Oct. 26, 2016, meteorological officials said.

Usually, the 3,776-meter- (nearly 12,300-foot-) high mountain has sprinkles of snow falling on its summit starting Oct. 2, about a month after the summertime hiking season there ends. Last year, snow fell on the mountain on Oct. 5, according to the JMA.

The snowless Mt. Fuji has captured attention on social media. People posted photos showing the bare mountain, some expressing surprise and others concerned over climate change.

The JMA's Kofu office has cited October's surprisingly summery weather as the reason. The temperature earlier this year has been higher across Japan, including Mt. Fuji.

“Many people are waiting to see the snowcap and we've received many inquiries recently,” Kiryu said. He said clouds around the mountaintop have blocked the view since Wednesday morning, delaying the confirmation of the snowcap, but officials are continuing to try to get a peak at the first snowfall.

Kiryu said it is too early to link this year's late snowcap to global warming, noting Mt. Fuji's first snow last year was in early October, adding: “I think we need to examine data for a longer period of time to make any conclusion."

The average October temperature is minus 2 degrees Celsius (28.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at the summit, but this year, it was 1.6 C, (34.9 F), a record high since 1932.

Japan this year also had an unusually hot summer and warm autumn.

A symbol of Japan, the mountain called “Fujisan” used to be a place of pilgrimage. The mountain with its snowy top and near symmetrical slopes have been the subject of numerous forms of art, including Japanese ukiyoe artist Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

Today, it attracts hikers who climb to the summit to see the sunrise. But tons of trash left behind and overcrowding have triggered concern and calls for environmental protection and measures to control overtourism.

Jun Kubota, a weather forecaster and a climber who grew up in Yamanashi, one of the two prefectures that are home to Mt. Fuji, says he is concerned if this year's delayed snowfall is part of a trend.

“I wonder if the season we can enjoy the snow is getting shorter, not just at Mt. Fuji but also on other mountains in central Japan or on Hokkaido," Kubota said in a Zoom call. i

He noted reports of snow shortage on ski slopes in recent years. “I'm afraid there could be an impact not only on snow mountain climbing, but also winter sports in general.”

AP video journalist Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.

FILE - Mount Fuji in the early morning sunlight is seen from Lake Kawaguchi, Japan, on Aug. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Mt. Fuji is snowcapped, seen from Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Mt. Fuji in Japan is covered with snow Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Mt. Fuji in Japan is covered with snow Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Mt. Fuji in Japan is covered with snow Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

PHOENIX (AP) — When Jennifer Rizzotti arrived at UConn as a player in 1992, the expectations around the school, as well as the women's basketball landscape, were much different than they are today.

Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. UConn hadn't yet hoisted a national championship trophy. There wasn't nearly the same pressure to win that the Huskies face now. And women's basketball as a whole hadn't seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now.

By the 1994-95 season, Rizzotti and fellow UConn standout Rebecca Lobo helped the Huskies go undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women's basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.

“There was no thought that we were going to be undefeated,” Rizzotti said. “We didn't have that internal pressure. We didn't have external pressure. That's the last time a UConn team could play that way. Think about that: 1995 is the last time a UConn team could play without that kind of pressure.”

The Huskies have since won 12 national titles, reached the Final Four 25 times and won 30 conference titles. They've been ranked 653 weeks in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, and Auriemma is the winningest coach in women's college basketball history.

As conversations around the Final Four in Phoenix center around how the women's game has grown, the Huskies, who are competing for the second straight national title, have been at the forefront.

“You could tell that everything was aligned for this program to reach that pinnacle," said Rizzotti, who is currently the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. “I don't think anything of us would have predicted that it would have gone on as it had.”

Rizzotti joined former UConn players Stefanie Dolson, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Shea Ralph, now Vanderbilt's coach, on a panel Friday at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Earlier Friday, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) commissioner Rich Ensor and AP women’s poll founder Mel Greenberg spoke on a panel moderated by college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli on the growth of women's basketball at the college and pro levels.

“I think women's basketball has never been more popular,” said Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005. “I think schools that are succeeding are really seeing, feeling and believing in the (return on investment). And UConn's a case in point.”

Ackerman sees the investment that the schools in this year's Final Four — UConn, Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — have made in their programs to reach back-to-back national semifinals as a reflection of the growing importance of pouring resources into women's hoops.

“And that's done a world of good,” she added. “Programs like South Carolina, UCLA, you see what they're doing for their campuses. The investment is paying off in terms of the brand and engagement with the community and school reputation.”

Even as women's sports are drawing record crowds and WNBA players are set to make more money than ever, Ensor sees much more room to capitalize on this current growth.

“It has been about breaking down barriers, and they still exist,” Ensor said. “We marvel at what's happened, but we still recognize there's a lot more that's to come.”

AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience: https://apnews.com/https:/apnews.com/projects/arizona-state-fan-poll-experience/

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

FILE - Connecticut's Breanna Stewart, left, drives to the basket as Cincinnati's Maya Benham, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

From left, Debbie Antonelli, Val Ackerman, Rich Ensor and Mel Greenberg sit on a panel during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, listens during an event Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/John Locher)

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts after his team defeated Notre Dame in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)