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Zao Now: Tuesday 30th December 2025

  • Dec 30, 2025
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 122cm

Posted on Tuesday 30th December 2025 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


We had some snowfall overnight but it is a very mild morning (for us anyway). The temperature is -1C. The snow is a bit slushy. There is cloud cover and limited visibility up higher up but it seems to be clearing somewhat.


Hopefully we are going to be getting some snow over the next few days.


Those snow depth numbers are still really low.


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Ski lifts:

Most lifts are now scheduled to be operating.

The following lifts are not yet open:

Ryuzan pair

Yokokura Number 2

Oomori quad


Ski runs:

Most of the main areas are open but we're not at 'fully open' status yet


Official snow depth (reported by ski area):

Yokokura area: 25cm

Uwanodai area: 35cm

Utopia area: 50cm

Chuo area: 50cm

Paradise area: 50cm

Summit area: 50cm


More information about the ski area: Zao Onsen


Zao Now

2025-2026 season

Data as of Tuesday 30th December 2025


Total snowfall at base

122cm

Number of days snowfall observed at base

19 days

Most snowfall observed in 1 day

23cm (on 4th December)

November 2025 snowfall

5cm observed on 2 days

December 2025 snowfall

117cm observed on 17 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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