Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 35cm Weather overview Snow Wind Moderate to strong Temperature - Visibility Poor Posted at 10:30am on Friday 7th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . There is 10cm or so of snow to report in the village this morning, temperature of around -1C and slight wind. It is cloudy this morning with some light snow falling. Visibility is poor with lots of cloud and fog covering the mountain. The snowy conditions will continue through the weekend and into next week, so hopefully we will have some decent new snow to report and more of the resort opening up soon. Some very strong winds are going to be blowing about over the weekend as well, so it might be blizzard conditions out there and may well affect any lifts that plan to be open. We need the snow though, so it would be good if we had a considerable snowfall to get the season moving. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 7th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 35cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 10cm (2nd, 5th and 7th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 32cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 25cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Moderate Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted at 7:42pm on Thursday 6th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Some more snow since yesterday as slowly but surely we move towards the season starting properly... so far no change in resort operations but the coming week is still looking very promising in terms of potential snowfall. It actually looks like the next 5-6 days is just going to be snow and strong winds with the worst of it (or should I say the 'best' of it?!) on Saturday through into Monday. I feel that I'm going to need to wrap up well even inside. Can't wait to see how much eventually arrives... Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 6th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 25cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 10cm (2nd and 5th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 22cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 163cm Weather overview Cloud, sun at times Wind Varied Temperature - Visibility Poor Posted on Tuesday 1st January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Happy New Year! And a happy new year it is as well with 10+cm of fresh snow this morning in Zao. A cold feeling -4 earlier on and -2 at the moment, with a temperature of -11C up on the top of the mountain, it is cloudy at the moment with the sun coming through the clouds at times and shining down on the lower slopes of Zao now. It might be temporary though as snow is forecast for the afternoon and evening. The snow clouds will be over Zao for the next few days and we are expecting very strong winds tomorrow in particular. Going to get colder too. Remember the layers if you plan on being in Zao over the next few days. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 1st January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 153cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (9th and 26th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 10cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 118cm Weather overview Cloud, blue sky Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Good Posted at 11:18am on Thursday 20th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Yesterday sure was a cold one. It was another cold start to the day at -6C when I woke up and it is currently around -4C, so not really warming up then! Just a few cm of new snowfall to report, cloud still around but blue sky as well and the sun shining down from time to time. We can't expect more than some possible sprinklings of snow in the next few days, though from Sunday a winter storm looks to still be on it's way. Strong winds and hopefully heavy snowfall into early week. Nighta news! There are two night skiing areas of the resort in Zao - not (skiable) connected, though you can of course go from one to the other if you wish. Nighta will start on the Uwanodai area from this Saturday (22nd), and will be open every day until 24th March 2013. 5pm until 9pm. Nighta in the Yokokura area will be open over the New Year period and then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4th January until 17th March. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 20th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 118cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (9th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 115cm reported on 11 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 122cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Good Posted at 10:30am on Monday 24th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Well, consistent snowfall I said yesterday but there's just a few cm of new snow to report this morning, so not as much as we were hoping for. The snow eased up and those darker clouds moved on with some blue sky on show as well. It turned into a pretty nice day, and it was rather busy out there as well. Anyway so we have a few cm of new snowfall and it is about -6C this morning and cloudy with just a slight wind. The mountain covered in cloud and so can't see the top but visibility out there looks fairly decent. While pretty much all of the mountain is open, we're still not 'deep' as you can see by the numbers below. Consistent snowfall is forecast for the next few days and so we hope it can bring decent amounts with it. Strong winds still likely this week. For now though a calm Christmas Eve. Enjoy your cake! Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 24th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 122cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (9th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 119cm reported on 13 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 396cm Weather overview Sunny Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Good Posted on Thursday 31st January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . A fine morning in Zao Onsen. Mostly blue skies and the sun shining with just some white clouds here and there, hiding the sun from time to time and casting shadows on the slopes. No new snow to report this morning and hardly any wind. Taking a look forward at the forecast for the week. Hmmm, not much snow on there at all. Mostly sunny with cloud, the chance of some snow showers and even a bit of rain around Saturday. Tomorrow and Saturday in particular are going to be unseasonably warm but it does look like from Sunday onwards we will return to somewhat colder conditions again. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 31st January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 396cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 409cm Weather overview Clear, snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Poor Posted on Wednesday 6th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Yesterday was a beauty. Some wispy white cloud here and there but generally clear, blue skies. All change this morning. Poor visibility and snow is coming down. A few cm on the ground since it started earlier on. It's about -4 in the village and Utopia only -6, so not the coldest of days by far but this kind of snow will hopefully bring us a decent amount of cm by the end of the day if it continues. Just a slight wind. Tomorrow we might have clearer skies above us once again but a return to snow after that. Seems the snow clouds will never be far away in the coming week. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 6th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 409cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 40 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 13cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 397cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Variable Posted on Monday 4th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . This morning I have just a bit of new snowfall to report from Zao. Less than 1cm. There is a light wind and it is generally cloudy with light snowfall lazily falling from the clouds. Top half of the mountain not to be seen as it is covered in those clouds, but decent visibility down on the lower slopes. It's about -2C in the village as of 8:30am with the resort saying it's just -5C up top. A return to colder conditions from tomorrow and snow showers likely most days in the coming week so fingers crossed one of those might bring us renewed deep fresh. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 4th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 397cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 38 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 407cm Weather overview Clear and sunny Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Very good Posted on Tuesday 5th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . The snow started yesterday afternoon, wet at first, but this morning there was about 10cm or so of fresh snow waiting for us when we got up. Since early on this morning though the clouds have dispersed. Right now as of 2pm we have beautiful clear blue skies above Zao. Lovely. Very quiet out there too. With that new snowfall it is a good day out on the mountain. Likely to have more snow fall tomorrow. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 5th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 407cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 39 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 11cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 442cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Varied Posted on Sunday 10th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Light snow falling this Sunday morning in Zao and the mountain is shrouded in cloud. There's just a light wind and it's about -6 degrees C cold. Paradise area reporting a temperature of -11 degrees C. No new snowfall so we get to play with what we had, though if this snow gets a bit heavier we might be lucky and get some fresh. The local forecast is snow for the day, so fingers crossed. Similar conditions likely tomorrow. It will be another very busy day on the slopes of Zao. Perhaps more so than yesterday. Things will get back to normal from Tuesday as tomorrow is a holiday, though we can probably expect people to start returning home from their long weekend tomorrow so it will be less crowded than today. Zao's plenty big though so if you try to avoid the bottlenecks and stick to less popular lifts, things should be good. Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 10th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 442cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 46cm reported on 6 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 15cm Snowfall at base this season 439cm Weather overview Cloud, snow Wind Strong Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted on Friday 8th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . After the lovely morning yesterday, conditions gradually turned into what we have now... a blizzard! 15-20cm of snow in the village area, very likely a fair bit more up top, cold temperature of -7C, and a strong wind blowing. Temperature of -15 recorded at the top station early this morning. More importantly the wind is affecting some lifts most notably the top Ropeway and Utopia No1 and No2 pair lifts. So for now the top is closed. Visibility isn't too bad at all actually at the moment - I can almost see the top of the mountain from base, but it's all white/grey and snow continues to fall. We might see snow showers continue into tomorrow, but while it might still be windy at least it looks like the wind should be less strong... Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 8th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 439cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 42 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 43cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 22cm Snowfall at base this season 464cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Varied Posted on Tuesday 12th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Sorry for the no show yesterday. I have got to admit that I thought I had posted a report and only just realised that I didn't now. Yesterday we had 20cm of new snowfall in the village and add a bit to that yesterday (no new this morning) and that explains the numbers I have added below. This morning there's cloud above the resort but it's fairly bright and visibility is pretty decent. A cold -7 degrees in the village area, with -12 being reported by the Utopia area. Less people around as well after a very busy 3 day long weekend. There's a chance of some decent snow tonight into tomorrow morning. I will of course let you know about that tomorrow... Zao Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 12th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 464cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 50cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day December 2012 snowfall 150cm reported on 15 days January 2013 snowfall 243cm reported on 21 days February 2013 snowfall 68cm reported on 7 days Previous report Next report 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com