Niseko Now: Saturday 20th February 2016
- Feb 20, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 795cm
Posted on Saturday 20th February 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
I have 4cm of fresh snow to report to you this morning from my base here in Hirafu.
I was out of town yesterday but it sounds like fog and limited visibility were the headline of the day.
Relatively mild again this morning, just slightly colder than this time yesterday here at base. The light westerly wind this morning isn't an issue and it seems that all of the lifts on the mountain should be open and operating as planned from the start of the day.
It's a fine morning actually with some thin hazy cloud around and the sun shining through them at the moment.
Things are set to change though soon with a drop in temperatures and heavy snowfall due tonight and into tomorrow, followed by regular snow through the coming week. That sounds good to me! I look forward to bringing you good snowy news tomorrow morning.
In the meantime hope you have a fine Saturday.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -3℃, 5cm snowfall. Moiwa 838m: -6.6℃, SW3.2m/s, 20cm snowfall with snowdrift development. Benkei cape: NNW7m/s (18m/s @ 8pm), Kamui cape: W6m/s, 1026hPa, wave height unknown (SW14m/s, 1020hPa @ 9pm). Hirafu peak ridge: -9℃. Annupuri 1000m: -8℃, mild wind, 10cm snowfall, 260cm snowpack.
A calm morning as the Low passed and the isobars spaced out. The wind peaked around 9pm last night, generated development of wet snowdrifts around 800m elevation, however have stabilized since then. Possibilities of avalanches from Feb 20th Low pressure snowfall layer is still to be considered around cornices, knolls and steep terrain above 900m elevation. Be alert. Peak gates will open from the morning, however may close anytime depending on the weather condition. Please respect the patrol’s decisions. The snow condition is better than it looks, slightly heavy & dense, typical Niseko snow. We strongly hope a safe day for all, please be mindful of your routes and always stay prudent in the mountains. Have a nice day.
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Saturday 20th February 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 795cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 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 187cm reported on 15 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.