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Zao Now: Friday 8th December 2023

  • Dec 8, 2023
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 40cm

Posted on Friday 8th December 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


This morning I was woken up by the rumbling and beeping of a snow plow. Yesterday's rain turned into large flakes and left just over 4cm of the good stuff.


The slopes are being primed for a proper opening tomorrow. (This early bit should be seen as a bonus! After all, the ski area originally planned to open on 9th December). It's not clear at this stage what exactly that might involve.


It is partly cloudy now, but they usually clear out by mid-afternoon.



Zao Now 2023-2024 season

Data as of Friday 8th December 2023 Total snowfall at base 40cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 7 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 18cm (on 30th November) November 2023 snowfall 32cm observed on 4 days December 2023 snowfall 8cm observed on 3 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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