Topographic Impacts of Mt. Fuji in Japan

Image Credit: Joshua Kelly

Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in the country of Japan. It does have a large impact on the weather in the region. The first impact is shown in the image to the left. This is known as a cap cloud as it sits snuggly on top of the mountain. This feature can be indicative of strong turbulence in the area for aviation purposes.

The second impact that Mt. Fuji can have is the winter weather in the Tokyo area. When storm systems come in from the west they tend to get trapped behind Mt. Fuji. West of Mt. Fuji, Snowfall amounts are incredible every winter, while to the east, in Tokyo, they barely get any snow on a yearly basis.

A third weather impact is when colder air travels in from the Northeast off the waters of the Pacific. It gets trapped in the Tokyo area so that cold air forms a dome over the region creating a colder air environment. Mt. Fuji, with its height, can also play a huge impact in weakening a tropical system that travels up the coast.