Niseko Now: Wednesday 19th March 2014
- Mar 19, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 1147cm
Posted on Wednesday 19th March 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Yesterday I said in the report that we were expecting rain/sleet later in the day. We got that, and more. Changeable conditions with heavy rain, sleet and snow and some strong winds added in for good measure. So no, not the best day of the season!
This morning there's a few cm of rather heavy and wet snow. A cloudy start to the day with some breaks in the cloud and blue sky in places, and a temperature of 1 degree as I write this, so not as mild as it was yesterday morning. There's still a wind about but doesn't seem to be affecting lift operations though it does look like a few lifts at Grand Hirafu are a bit delayed due to some kind of maintenance.
Doesn't look like there's any significant snowfall on the forecasts, just a bit here and there perhaps - later on tomorrow and Saturday.
---
Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -4C, 5cm of wet snow in 12 hours and 5cm of crystal snow since dawn, development of snowdrifts. Moiwa peak: n/a. Annupuri 1150m: mild wind, -9C, development of unstable snowdrifts, snowpack 340cm. Hirafu 1000m: calm, -7C. Peak 1308m: no data, N23.3m/s at 11pm, -9.2C. Coastal data: no data available.
Snow and wind stayed strong overnight due to strong airflow from the approaching High pressure system to the eastbound Low. Snowdrifts have developed drastically in lee-slopes and the avalanche risk is high. Heavily developed snowdrifts are extremely unstable during and immediately after storms. They collapse irrelevantly to layer compositions and can cause larger surface slab slides. The wind has calmed down as the isobars started to space out, however the snowpack stabilization will be delayed notably above 1000m. Gates 2 & 3 will be closed and others are yet to be determined. Please respect the ski patrol’s decisions. The snow in the trees has been mostly reset and good snow can be found. The avalanche hazard in surrounding mountains varies from areas, but one general rule is that the stabilization is slower in higher altitude. Conditions should be very unstable in Mt Yotei Makkari face’s “Terrace valley” above 1200m. Hardpack patches are present in the morning. Beware of falling, slipdrops, cracks and hitting trees. Prudence is key to avoid accidents.
---
Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 395cm
Base - 185cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 390cm
Base - 190cm
Annupuri:
Top - 380cm
Base - 200cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Wednesday 19th March 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 1147cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 94 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (14th January) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 461cm reported on 29 days February 2014 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days March 2014 snowfall 110cm 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.