Zao Now: Monday 12th January 2026
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata
New snowfall at base 24cm
Snowfall at base this season 208cm
Posted on Monday 12th January 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.
Morning from Zao.
Heavy snowfall and some very strong winds and wild conditions overnight.
This morning it is very hard to put one number on the snowfall (due to those winds). Measurements vary from 19cm - 36cm, but after a bit of checking around I'm going with 25cm.
The ski area itself is reporting 20cm.
It is still snowing and it is still windy but most lifts appear to be starting the day as planned, though the summit section of the Zao Ropeway is on hold.
We are still due more wind and snow over the coming days.
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Ski lifts:
All scheduled to be operating apart from Yokokura Number 2
Ski runs:
All of the main areas are open with just a few restrictions remaining
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
Yokokura area: 55cm
Uwanodai area: 60cm
Utopia area: 115cm
Chuo area: 70cm
Paradise area: 70cm
Summit area: 85cm
More information about the ski area: Zao Onsen
Zao Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Monday 12th January 2026 Total snowfall at base 208cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 30 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 5cm observed on 2 days December 2025 snowfall 120cm observed on 18 days January 2026 snowfall 83cm observed on 10 days |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Zao Onsen. 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.