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Zao Now: Sunday 21st January 2024

  • Jan 21, 2024
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 196cm

Posted on Sunday 21st January 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


Morning from Zao.


There is a very wet snow falling right now. It is more snow than rain. 3cm from around Uwanodai base but probably more than that on the mountain.


Also a lot of fog around halfway up the mountain and limited visibility. Some blowy winds are being reported from the top area too.


Anyway this snow started about 1.5 hours ago, and is still continuing. Hopefully it will continue.


Ski area operations:

Zao Onsen is now mostly open with just a few restrictions.

Night skiing with the Onsen Number 1 pair (9:00pm) and Onsen Number 2 quad (8:45pm) scheduled to be operating.


Official snow depth (reported by ski area):

Yokokura area: 45cm

Uwanodai area: 50cm

Utopia area: 70cm

Chuo area: 90cm

Paradise area: 90cm

Summit area: 60cm



Zao Now 2023-2024 season

Data as of Sunday 21st January 2024 Total snowfall at base 196cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 31 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (on 16th January) November 2023 snowfall 32cm observed on 4 days December 2023 snowfall 66cm observed on 14 days January 2024 snowfall 98cm observed on 13 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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