Zao Now: Wednesday 28th January 2026
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 295cm
Posted on Wednesday 28th January 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.
Today we have a cloudy morning with interment snow flurries. The sun is occasionally peeking through the clouds and giving us some nice sun.
11cm fresh snow at the bottom, 21cm fresh up top and more snow due over coming days.
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Ski lifts:
All scheduled to be operating apart from Yokokura Number 2
Utopia Number 2 pair and Astraea Number 3 pair on hold
Ski runs:
All of the main areas are open
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
Yokokura area: 75cm
Uwanodai area: 80cm
Utopia area: 175cm
Chuo area: 165cm
Paradise area: 170cm
Summit area: 130cm
More information about the ski area: Zao Onsen
Zao Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Wednesday 28th January 2026 Total snowfall at base 295cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 41 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 170cm observed on 21 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.