Niseko Now: Monday 4th February 2019
- Feb 4, 2019
- 7 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 735cm
Posted on Monday 4th February 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's a bit... wet, this morning. Not rain, not quite powder snow either. Sleet I think is the word I'm looking for. Or wet snow. (I'm all worded-out after writing the below blurb).
Anyway, it's not a particularly appealing morning with that falling and grey cloudy and foggy conditions.
Hopefully things will improve during the day with temps due to drop again and hopefully some nicer snow falling.
It looks like wind could be a factor again today too, possibly affecting lifts. And indeed, just as I prepare to post this report at 8:30am there is news of top lifts not opening. See individual resort details below for details and keep that in mind.
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A look back at the season so far: January 2019
The months just fly by don’t they. OK, enough of the clichés... it’s time to look back on the month of January and the 18/19 season so far.
All the numbers that I am discussing here (apart from the JMA numbers at the end) can be found within these Niseko Now reports. See below and the ‘Snowfall Analysis’ page via that big blue tab link thingy up top. And, of course, please always keep in mind that I take my measurements from close to the base of Niseko Grand Hirafu. My numbers can all be compared like-for-like, because they are coming from the same places each season and I try my best to always be consistent.
This is how much snowfall I have measured myself during the month of January over the last seven years:
January 2019: 285cm
January 2017: 305cm
January 2016: 152cm
January 2015: 303cm
January 2014: 257cm
January 2013: 461cm
January 2012: 443cm
In the end we didn’t quite manage to hit 3m snowfall at base, and about 20cm less than I observed in January last season. Still, 285cm is nearly double the now famously rubbish (calm down... I mean relatively!!) 16/17 season, but also not reaching the lofty numbers in 2012 and 2013. Monthly numbers don’t say anything about consistency and quality of course...
One great thing has been that I was able to measure fresh cm of snowfall on all but 6 days through the month of January 2019. Adding that on to the 5 days without any new cm of snow measured in December 2018, it means there have only been 11 reports during the whole of December 2018 and January 2019 without any new cm of snow at base.
Fresh snowfall recorded in 51 out of 62 reports. Impressive. :)
So, Niseko is continuing to deliver some excellent consistency which is a good job because we need it (see comments last season about the real need for regular refreshes in such a popular destination).
On to my ‘season to date’ numbers. These are from the beginning of the season to the end of January:
2018/2019 season up to end of January 2019: 702cm
2017/2018 season up to end of January 2018: 899cm
2016/2017 season up to end of January 2017: 445cm
2015/2016 season up to end of January 2016: 611cm
2014/2015 season up to end of January 2015: 806cm
2013/2014 season up to end of January 2014: 859cm
2012/2013 season up to end of January 2013: 979cm
And here’s how much of the total snowfall for a season we have already had fall on us by the end of January in those recent seasons:
By the end of January 2019, as a % of the season total: ???
By the end of January 2018, as a % of the season total: about 71%
By the end of January 2017, as a % of the season total: about 65%
By the end of January 2016, as a % of the season total: about 62%
By the end of January 2015, as a % of the season total: about 70%
By the end of January 2014, as a % of the season total: about 74%
By the end of January 2012, as a % of the season total: about 66%
By the end of the month of January, we have usually had between 62-74% of the total snowfall that we can expect over the entire season. (The average being 68%). Hopefully we’ll get at least 3m more snowfall this season, and obviously the more the better.
Always want more snow.
Looking ahead to February, here’s how much snowfall I have recorded during the month of in the last six winter seasons. The numbers in brackets show the total observed snowfall up until the end of February in each of the respective seasons.
February 2018: 299cm (1198cm)
February 2017: 160cm (605cm)
February 2016: 266cm (877cm)
February 2015: 196cm (1002cm)
February 2014: 178cm (1037cm)
February 2013: 316cm (1295cm)
The last piece of data that I always look at is the snowfall numbers that the Japan Meteorological Agency report from their observation station in Kutchan town. Here is what they have reported for the month of January in recent years:
January 2019: 253cm
January 2018: 259cm
January 2017: 160cm
January 2016: 258cm
January 2015: 230cm
January 2014: 317cm
January 2013: 268cm
And the JMA numbers for the ‘season so far’:
2018/2019 season up to end of January 2019: 667cm
2017/2018 season up to end of January 2018: 752cm
2016/2017 season up to end of January 2017: 568cm
2015/2016 season up to end of January 2016: 488cm
2014/2015 season up to end of January 2015: 658cm
2013/2014 season up to end of January 2014: 674cm
2012/2013 season up to end of January 2013: 672cm
The first part of February is still full on peak season and especially popular with visitors coming from overseas to stay and celebrate the Chinese New Year holidays. We hope to see a lot more of winter this month. Up here in Hokkaido we can surely be able to happily ignore all the songs called ‘sakura’ (cherry blossoms) and ‘sotsugyo’ (graduation) that pop up along with other mentions of spring for quite a while yet. We can perhaps start thinking about that this time next month.
As I mentioned in a report a few days ago, I am still not even half way through my season of reports. The last lifts will be moving until early May, so there’s over three full months to go. Lots of . And toast of course.
I hope you will spend it with me – even if you have already been and gone, or indeed even if you aren’t able to visit Niseko at all this season.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain Base 6.00am: 0°, 5cm new wet snow. Moiwa 800m: -1.0, E1.7m/s, 5cm light wet snow, foggy. Mikaeri Weather Station: light winds, 5cm new snow, minor snowdrift development from the east. Annupuri 1120m: snow depth 220cm. Hirafu Peak: -5°, strong southerly wind. Mizuno no Sawa Knoll : -2.37°, S5.2m/s, mountain base snow depth 151cm. Suttsu Weather Station: 2.0°, SSE4.7m/s, snow depth 42cm. Kutchan Weather Station: 0.8°, S2.3m/s, snow depth 151cm. Cape Benkei: S3m/s, Cape Kamui: NE4m/s, pressure 995hPa, wave 0.5m.
Preceding a low pressure front the atmospheric pressure gradient is shallow and weather is calm. Above 1000m a strong southerly wind is blowing. From this mornings observation the avalanche risk is low, however after 10am expect the avalanche risk to increase rapidly on leeward steep slopes around 1000m. The current snowfall (Feb3-4) is expected to become a future avalanche fracture face. Take care if we get increased falls of low pressure snow, slabs will form that fracture and slide easily, even in the trees.
When we have a typical winter weather pattern and increased snowfall forming slabs, avalanche accidents can easily occur. A slope you were riding yesterday may not be safe today. Make flexible plans to suit the weather. Hindsight is 20/20 but wont help the dead. Beacons and airbags are no guarantee of safety. Always make cautious decisions. Snow in the trees is good but visibility is bad. Be careful of a sudden change in weather, falling, hitting things, collisions. Is your beacon on? Good weather is always safer in the mountains. Have a good day.
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Ski resort operation information: Monday 4th February 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 340cm
- Base: 125cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top Ace and King lifts on hold at the start of the day
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 230cm
- Base: 190cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts should be operating as normal
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 150cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top Jumbo lift on hold at the start of the day
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 160cm
Ski lifts operating:
- The Gondola and top Wonderland Chair lift on hold at the start of the day
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Monday 4th February 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 735cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 63 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 33cm reported on 4 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.