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Yamagata Zao Onsen Weather (Next 3 days): The snow forecast for Yamagata Zao Onsen is: A heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Temperatures will be below freezing (max -2°C on Tue morning, min -14°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (stormy winds from the W on Tue night, strong winds from the W by Thu morning).
Yamagata Zao Onsen Weather (Days 4-6): A light covering of new snow, mostly falling on Fri morning. Freeze-thaw conditions (max 2°C on Sun night, min -11°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (severe gales from the WNW on Fri night, moderate winds from the WSW by Sun afternoon).
| Resort | Snow Depth | Temp. (°C) | Wind (km/h) | Weather | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Lift: | 1.1 m | -2 |  | |||
| Middle Lift: | 1 | | ||||
| Bottom Lift: | 0.6 m | 2 | |
Latest snow reports near Yamagata Zao Onsen:
Tuesday 13 | Wednesday 14 | Thursday 15 | Friday 16 | Saturday 17 | Sunday 18 | |||||||||||||
AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
 |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | |  | | |  |  | |  | |
snow shwrs | mod. snow | heavy snow | light snow | light snow | snow shwrs | snow shwrs | light snow | mod. snow | light snow | light snow | light snow | light snow | snow shwrs | clear | clear | clear | some clouds | |
km/h | ||||||||||||||||||
Snow map |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
— | 9 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
max °C | -2 | -5 | -10 | -14 | -12 | -8 | -5 | -2 | -3 | -8 | -10 | -11 | -10 | -9 | -8 | -4 | -2 | 2 |
min °C | -5 | -8 | -14 | -14 | -14 | -11 | -6 | -3 | -7 | -8 | -11 | -11 | -10 | -9 | -9 | -6 | -3 | 0 |
-16 | -22 | -30 | -30 | -30 | -25 | -16 | -12 | -19 | -20 | -25 | -25 | -23 | -22 | -21 | -14 | -10 | -6 | |
86 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 92 | 89 | 89 | 70 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 85 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 50 | 46 | 42 | |
850 | 850 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 450 | 1200 | 1050 | 550 | 350 | 0 | 300 | 450 | 0 | 350 | 1050 | 1750 | |
 | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 4:38 | — | — | 4:39 | — | — | 4:40 | — | — | 4:42 | — | — | 4:43 | — | — | 4:44 | — |
A heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Temperatures will be below freezing (max -2°C on Tue morning, min -14°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (stormy winds from the W on Tue night, strong winds from the W by Thu morning).
A light covering of new snow, mostly falling on Fri morning. Freeze-thaw conditions (max 2°C on Sun night, min -11°C on Fri afternoon). Winds decreasing (severe gales from the WNW on Fri night, moderate winds from the WSW by Sun afternoon).
Latest snow reports near Yamagata Zao Onsen:
| Top snow depth: | 110 cm |
|---|---|
| Bottom snow depth: | 55 cm |
| Fresh snowfall depth: | 23 cm |
| Last snowfall: | 12 Jan 2026 |
| Snow Alerts | Create Alert |
1.3 | Bluebird Powder days Fresh snow, mostly sunny, light wind. |
|---|---|
2.7 | Powder days Fresh snow, limited sun, any wind. |
1.5 | Bluebird days Average snow, mostly sunny, light wind. |
The above table gives the weather forecast for Yamagata Zao Onsen at the specific elevation of 1661 m. Our sophisticated weather models allow us to provide snow forecasts for the top, middle and bottom ski stations of Yamagata Zao Onsen. To access the weather forecasts for the other elevations, use the tab navigation above the table. For a wider view of the weather, check out the Weather Map of Japan.
Click here to read further information on freezing levels and how we forecast our temperatures.
Overall 3.3 Based on 4 votes and 2 reviews
I have skied at Zao 5~6 times since 1984. It is a resort with a great traditional village atmosphere, hot springs and skiing for everyone. The snow monsters look fantastic, however opportunities for skiing amongst them are for advanced skiers only. Most people just stick to the groomed runs. The thing I like most is the ski-in ski-out accommodation options and proximity of the whole village to the lifts. The only draw back is the toll road costs from Yamagata, but if staying at Zao you only pay once. The other negative is that there is a bit of a traverse between some lifts but this is only a minor gripe and won't trouble good skiers. The big bonus is the snow quality, varied terrain and different aspects offering sheltered runs depending on wind direction. The government run Minshiku Ryuzanso is only 50m from the Chuo (middle) gondola and at 8,000 yen per night including 2 meals can't be beat. It also has its own onsen. The manager Furukawa san is still there (2008) and very helpful for foreigners. Highly recommended.
Tony Brown from Australia writes:
I have skied at Zao 5~6 times since 1984. It is a resort with a great traditional village atmosphere, hot springs and skiing for everyone. The snow monsters look fantastic, however opportunities for skiing amongst them are for advanced skiers only. Most people just stick to the groomed runs. The thing I like most is the ski-in ski-out accommodation options and proximity of the whole village to the lifts. The only draw back is the toll road costs from Yamagata, but if staying at Zao you only pay once. The other negative is that there is a bit of a traverse between some lifts but this is only a minor gripe and won't trouble good skiers. The big bonus is the snow quality, varied terrain and different aspects offering sheltered runs depending on wind direction. The government run Minshiku Ryuzanso is only 50m from the Chuo (middle) gondola and at 8,000 yen per night including 2 meals can't be beat. It also has its own onsen. The manager Furukawa san is still there (2008) and very helpful for foreigners. Highly recommended.
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