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Zao Now: Wednesday 16th January 2019

  • Jan 16, 2019
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 279cm

Posted on Wednesday 16th January 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


The snow is back. Not huge amounts but it is a start on the road back to a fresh reset and I can report just over 5cm; there should be more than that at higher elevations. Snow is falling and there is limited visibility up there too but all seems open as planned this morning. We might enjoy some clearer conditions and blue skies this afternoon.


More snow is forecast for tomorrow along with stronger winds and then again around Sunday. Just how much we will get... we will have to sit tight and see what happens.


Operation info from official sources:


- All lifts operating apart from Karamatsu pair and Yokokura Number 2 pair

- All courses open


Official snow depths (as reported by resort):


- Summit area: 100cm

- Paradise area: 130cm

- Chuo area: 130cm

- Utopia area: 100cm

- Uwanodai area: 90cm

- Oomori area: 100cm



Zao Now 2018-2019 season

Data as of Wednesday 16th January 2019 Total snowfall at base 279cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 27 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 43cm (on 29th December) November 2018 snowfall 7cm observed on 3 days December 2018 snowfall 218cm observed on 18 days January 2019 snowfall 54cm observed on 6 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.


SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.



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