Niseko Now: Friday 19th February 2016
- Feb 19, 2016
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 791cm
Posted on Friday 19th February 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's warmer this morning and noticeably so - the thermometer is showing just under +2C outside my place here as of 8am.
There has been just a dusting of snowfall since my last report and until I started writing this report it is just snowing very lightly... since then and over the last 30 minutes it has started coming down with a bit more conviction and so I can officially assign 1cm to the report today.
I was up on the mountain later on in the day yesterday and things were looking pretty tracked out, and so groomers aside things won't have changed this early morning. (We're back to that old 'we require regular snowfall' discussion!)
Looks like early on top lifts are on hold but due to poor visibility rather than wind issues.
So, snowfall is expected today but there's also a chance that we might get some rain or sleet during the day as well. Obviously we all hope to completely avoid that and it just be a forecast oddity.
After today, the forecast is looking more exciting with decent and potentially heavy snowfall expected later Saturday through into Monday; it looks like there is a good chance for some more nice numbers to report to you.
And report them I will!
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With 182cm of snow observed by myself here at base during this month, we're now just 14cm off the amount that I observed during the whole of the month of February last year.
It looks like we are easily going to surpass last years number for February, and so at the same time start catching up on the season as a whole (we're still over 2m less than last season at the end of February).
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Resort specific lift opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
The top Ace Number 4, King Number 4, Ace Number 3 and King Number 3 lifts are on hold at the start of the day due to poor visibility.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
The top Hanazono Number 3 lift is on hold at the start of the day due to poor visibility.
Niseko Village
The top Wonderland lift is on hold at the start of the day.
Niseko Annupuri
The top Jumbo 4 lift is on hold at the start of the day due to poor visibility.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base6am: -2℃, no snowfall. Moiwa peak 838m: -4.5℃, ENE2.3m/s, no snowfall. Coastal data Benkei cape: WNW4m/s, Kamui cape SW12m/s, 1016hPa, 0.9m waves. Hirafu ridgeline: -7℃, no snowfall. Annupuri 1150: -6℃, W10m/s, no snowfall.
Isobars are spaced out before the next Low approaches. The ocean and the mountains are in a calm condition. The general avalanche risk is low. Peak gates will open from the morning, but beware of sudden weather changes. According to observations, the snowpack at 800m elevation has 150cm of stable snow on top of Feb 14th layer and today’s layer will turn into a notable layer (Feb 19th) in the future snowpack. Do not play around the big cornices around 1000m elevation. Collapsing cornices can trigger a big surface slab slide. The mountain is mostly tracked out. The snow below 800m elevation has a soft crust layer and is catchy, easy to loose control. Beware of hitting trees and falling into creeks. Cracks are forming everywhere and are hard to notice from above. Be prudent when riding steep slopes. Surveillance of strictly off-limits areas are enforced. Ride carefully and have a nice day.
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Official resort snow depths as of Friday 19th February 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 345cm
Base - 150cm
Niseko Village
Top - 340cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 350cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Friday 19th February 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 791cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 61 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 183cm reported on 14 days |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report.