Beautiful clouds and the village bathed in sun

From Nozawa 27/2/2010

Finally some fresh snow for Nozawa – only 6cm reported for Yamabiko but it is definitely a start. More precipitation is predicted for the coming week but it will be touch and go as to whether it falls as snow or rain, most likely the latter on the lower slopes and down in the village.

New Snow (Resort): 6 cm

New Snow (Village): 2 cm

Weather: Light westerly winds and overcast conditions today with fog higher up in the resort affecting visibility.

Official statistics:

Low cloud hiding the top half of the resort from view

From Nozawa 27/2/2010

It is an overcast day here in Nozawa Onsen with low cloud and fog hiding the top half of the resort from view. The upper slopes however are above the clouds and visibility is not bad up there. Again no new snow overnight and the rain and warmer temperatures are really biting into the snow pack. It has got quite a bit colder though, with a forecast top of 4 degrees C at village level and some light snow is predicted to fall in the morning tomorrow.

New Snow (Resort): 0 cm

New Snow (Village): 0 cm

Weather: Light northerly winds and light rain this morning with low cloud and fog affecting visibility on the lower slopes.

Official statistics:

Breaking from the pattern of beautiful sunny days that we have had recently, today has dawned cloudy. Unfortunately it is still warm and those clouds have also brought rain. As you can see from the official statistics the base has lost 5~10cm since yesterday and with this rain there is bound to be more melting away. Slightly colder weather forecast for the weekend but returning to warmer conditions on Monday with heavy rain and strong winds before another drop in temperatures on Tuesday night brings a chance of some snow at higher altitudes.

New Snow (Resort): 0 cm

New Snow (Village): 0 cm

Weather: Moderately strong southwesterly winds and rain.

Official statistics:

It is a beautiful spring day here in Nozawa Onsen, with clear skies, sunshine and soft conditions on the slopes. Not so good for the snow pack but great for enjoying the mountains. A front is forecast to come through tonight bringing some precipitation but with temperatures up above 10 degrees it is going to fall as rain. It is predicted to get colder on Saturday with light rain still falling lower down and snow higher up before warm weather and rain on Monday.

New Snow (Resort): 0 cm

New Snow (Village): 0 cm

Weather: Light southerly wind and an expected top of 14 degrees C. Excellent visibility.

Official statistics:

Akakura Onsen is warm and sunny today – hardly a cloud to be seen and an expected top of 10 degrees C. Clouds are expected to move in over night and bring rain by Thursday evening with heavy rain forecast for Friday morning, Saturday night and Monday night. So lots of slushy skiing fun to be had today and tomorrow before the rain comes and lets just hope it gets cold sometime soon….

New Snow (Resort): 0 cm

New Snow (Village): 0 cm

Weather: Light southwesterly wind and an expected top of 10 degrees C. Excellent visibility.

Official statistics:

( Click on the resort names in the table above to see more information about each ski area )