top of page

Zao Now: Sunday 18th January 2015

  • Jan 18, 2015
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 15cm
Snowfall at base this season 410cm

Posted on Sunday 18th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


Strong winds yesterday meant that in the end the Ski Jumping event was apparently cancelled. I wasn't around but it's a shame when events can't go ahead as planned of course.


This morning we have a good 15-20cm of fresh snowfall and once again there's not much to see out of the window other than grey/white. Visibility poor even down here in the village and while it has actually improved a bit in the last hour or so, most certainly poor out on higher areas of the mountain.


It's a cold morning with snow still falling and a moderate wind. Not as strong as yesterday, but still a wind chill. Feels very cold out.


Forecast tells us it might even clear up to an extent later on today but the snow clouds won't be far away over the next few days.


Official snow depths):


Utopia: 195cm

Chuo: 200cm

Paradise: 200cm

Uwanodai: 135cm



Zao Now 2014-2015 season

Data as of Sunday 18th January 2015 Total snowfall at base 410cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 80cm (on 3rd December) November 2014 snowfall 20cm observed on 2 days December 2014 snowfall 281cm observed on 21 days January 2015 snowfall 109cm observed on 12 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.



bottom of page