The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Australian Forecast – A Great End to a Great Season

Published early Friday, 3^rd October 2025

Snow came in as expected during the early hours on Thursday with resorts reporting a few cents had gathered by the time they opened. Another 5cm had stacked up on Perisher’s snow stake before the snow cleared Thursday night. It’s a great wee addition to the snowpack that will see us nicely through the last four days of the season. Mt Buller, Hotham and Falls Creek will have their grand finale’s on Sunday, Thredbo and Perisher have theirs on Monday, which is a public holiday for Labour Day.

This is the final forecast of the season, which starts off with windy, mucky conditions today in Victoria, a fine start in NSW, Friday, before high pressure moves in for a warm, sunny weekend, though winds strengthen for Closing Day in Victoria on Sunday. Closing Day in NSW will have a wet, blustery start as a front passes over early Monday morning, but skies will brighten again for the season’s final turns.

Friday 3^rd October

Cloudy, clagged-in conditions with snow flurries in western Victoria, spreading elsewhere in the afternoon while turning wet and drizzly about lower and mid slopes. Strong southwesterly winds in exposed areas back off a touch.

Saturday 4^th October

A ridge of high pressure brings nice, sunny skies with a little high cloud while southwest winds gradually swing northwest.

Sunday 5^th October

Closing Day for Mt Buller, Hotham and Falls Creek will be dry with increasing high cloud. However, warm northwest winds strengthen, so keep an eye on lift operations.

Monday 6^th October

Closing Day for Thredbo and Perisher will start with a little rain and strong northwest winds as a front passes over first thing in the morning. Behind the front, we’ll be left with partly cloudy skies with sunny spells, and lighter westerly breezes.

That’s all from me for today and the season, folks. It’s been an absolute pleasure sharing all the highs and lows with you. I’m taking off to hibernate in the back country, but I’ll be back sometime in December when the northern hemisphere season starts cranking. See you then!

Grasshopper

New Zealand Forecast – A Stormy End To The Season

Published early Friday, 3^rd October 2025

Well folks, we made it. This is the last forecast of the season. Cardrona and Mt Olympus close this Sunday, leaving The Remarkables and Mt Hutt to hold the fort down south until they also close next Sunday. Whakapapa and Turoa will remain open until the 26^th of October. So make the most of it while you can.

The riding continues to be exceptional in the Southern Lakes after the region scored a couple of 10-20cm powder dumps on Sunday and Tuesday night. Mt Hutt also received 5cm on Wednesday, while Mt Ruapehu had a dusting.

We’ll sneak in some nice weather for a great Friday session ahead of a Tasman Low crossing the country this weekend, bringing a mix of rain and snow. Colder southerlies arriving on the South Island late Saturday will give the Southern Lakes and Canterbury a top-up of dense snow through into Sunday.

Conditions deteriorate on Monday as strong, stormy westerlies once again arrive on Kiwi slopes, with fronts and gales expected to rattle ski fields throughout the week. However, the Southern Lakes in particular will pick up some nice shots of powder in the process.

Friday 3^rd October

A mostly clear, sunny morning up in the mountains, with low cloud filling the valleys and plains. Cloud then builds ahead of a Tasman Low, which spreads rain southwards over Mt Ruapehu in the afternoon as westerlies swing north. After dark, the rain spreads over the South Island, falling as snow to mid-levels or lower in the Southern Lakes. South Island ski fields will also have light breezes from the northerly quarter.

Saturday 4^th October

A bit of a soggy day as the Tasman low continues to cross the country, bringing periods of rain to the ski fields. However, dense snow will fall to around mid-levels for the Southern Lakes, where there’ll be a cooler southeast breeze. Winds will come from the northwest for Mt Ruapehu, and northeast for Canterbury.

In the evening, snow levels fall to base levels across the South Island as a colder southerly arrives. A little snow will also fall about mid- and upper-slopes of Mt Ruapehu before drying up overnight.

Sunday 5^th October

Snowfall across the South Island clears the Southern Lakes in the afternoon and Canterbury at night as the low pulls away to the east, allowing chilly southerly winds to start easing. The winds will be strong in Canterbury throughout day, which might affect lift operations. This low is likely to deliver a top-up of between 5 and 20cm from base to summit. Overall, not a bad one for Closing Day at Cardrona.

Showers of rain and upper-level snow kick up over Mt Ruapehu in the afternoon, then clear at night shortly after northwesterlies turn southerly.

Monday 6^th October

Not a bad start for the South Island, but conditions will quickly deteriorate as a front approaches from the west, likely affecting lift operations. Cloud increases and northwest winds rapidly strengthen, reaching severe-gale in exposed spots, before the front spreads rain northwards during the afternoon with heavy falls on the cards. A colder westerly change at night will see the rain transition to snow.

Mt Ruapehu will see a bit of cloud and a few light showers, falling as snow about mid- to upper-slopes, while westerly winds pick up.

Tuesday 7^th October

Snow showers over the Southern Lakes taper off, then clear in the afternoon with sunny skies, as brisk, chilly southwesterlies gradually swing northwest. A few more snow showers will show up at night.

Mt Hutt will score a fresh dusting of snow, thanks to a brief southwest change. Other than that, skies will be mostly clear, but winds will start strong from the northwest which may delay things.

Mt Ruapehu will cop a load of heavy rain before opening as the front passes over. Showers of snow and low-level rain will continue throughout the day with strong westerly winds.

Extended Forecast

Strong, unsettled westerlies will persist through to the end of next week, marring the season’s final days for The Remarkables and Mt Hutt, where lift operations will likely be affected. Gales will be the norm, with peaks in wind strength coming ahead of a couple of passing frontal systems due around late Thursday/Friday and next weekend. Expect a bout of rain followed by snow with both systems as they bring a dip in temperatures.

That’s all from me for today and the season, folks. It’s been an absolute pleasure sharing all the highs and lows with you. I’m taking off to hibernate in the back country, but I’ll be back sometime in December when the northern hemisphere season starts cranking. See you then!

Grasshopper

Weekly Japan Forecast – Long & Strong Storm Next Week

Written early Friday, 16^th January (Japan Standard Time)

It’s been another big week in Japan, in which several days of heavy snowfall has dumped over 0.5-2m of powder across the country. Japan has certainly been making up for a slow start in recent weeks and is now fast approaching that elusive above-average mark.

We’ll see a bit more snow on Friday and this weekend as a couple of weaker low-pressure systems pass over the country, bringing a mix of rain and snow. However, the real news is all about a long and strong storm that’ll dump a massive load of Japow over the country from early Tuesday. The storm will last several days, and Central Honshu in particular will see heavy falls and deep, deep totals. After this one, chances are we’ll be sitting nice and lofty above the average mark.

Friday 16^th to Sunday 18^th January

Yesterday, Thursday, snowfall in northern Honshu gradually built while transitioning to rain at lower levels, as milder southwesterlies arrived ahead of a low-pressure system. The belt of rain and snow pushed south over central Honshu late in the day, although here snow levels were even higher, like above 1200-1400m, so it was mucky stuff.

Fortunately, the low crossed the country last night, dragging in cooler west-to-northwest winds behind it and allowing snow levels to drop significantly. Snowfall over the Nagano Prefecture and areas to the south/west will dry up this Friday morning, but light falls will continue further north, including flurries on Hokkaido, though they will become fewer and farther between later in the day.

Thursday and Friday’s pattern repeats this weekend, with another low from the west crossing Honshu on Saturday. However, we can expect a more favourable result, especially for central Honshu, where around 10-25cm should fall. Temperatures and snow levels will be colder, both ahead of and after the low, and there’ll be less rain involved. Models are more at odds as to how much powder will fall over Northern Honshu and Hokkaido this weekend, but we should be looking at similar totals.

Monday 19^th to Thursday 20^th January

The next storm that hits Japan during this period will likely be the biggest and longest of the season so far. The storm starts ramping up late Monday, but, as usual, things start off warm in central Honshu. However, cold winds off the continent will hit the country early Tuesday and will continue through to at least Sunday, the 25^th, bringing a massive load of high-quality Japow.

The snow will absolutely puke down over Central Honshu, where storm tallies are likely to be nearing the 1m mark in some areas by the end of Thursday. Snowfall will taper off to the north, but we could still see half a metre or more in some areas of northern Honshu and Hokkaido by the same time. So much snow is bound to create operational headaches and avalanche risks, so keep an eye on them.

That’s all from me today, folks. Have a great week, and I’ll see you here next Thursday for another weekly rundown of Japan’s highlights and snowlights.

Grasshopper

Weekly North America Forecast – Long High & Dry Pattern Ahead

Written Wednesday afternoon, 7^th January (Pacific Standard Time)

A warm, wet storm saw many Canadian resorts pick up around 15-30cm earlier this week. However, the storm benefited the higher terrain, and Banff, Lake Louise, and Whistler all recorded 50-60cm. 

High pressure has now gripped the entire western North America, bringing seasonably warm, dry conditions. This pattern will remain in place through the next 7 days, giving us a prolonged fair-weather window.

The pick of the bunch will be those resorts with a deep base already established, with the fine weather making it even better. Resorts in the Canadian Rockies will rank the highest in this instance, after benefitting from the deepest December on record and good snowfall through early January.

However, small as they may be, resorts in Colorado and Wyoming will likely record the largest totals over the next 7 days, thanks to cold air flowing out of the north, giving the eastern side of the Rockies a dusting of snow, followed by a weak storm tracking southeast from the Cascades on Thursday. 

Friday 16^th to Sunday 18^th January

The high-pressure pattern will keep most of western North America warm and dry during this three-day period. However, on the fringes of a storm farther east, cold air from the north will flow down the eastern side of the Rockies on Friday and early Saturday, bringing light snowfall. Eastern resorts in Colorado and Wyoming will benefit the most with up to around 10cm expected in the most exposed terrain.

There’ll be another surge of cold air down the eastern side of the Rockies on Sunday, but this time, no resorts will pick up any fresh snow.

Monday 19^th to Thursday 22^nd January

Dry conditions persist throughout this time period as high pressure remains in place over the West. On Wednesday, more cold air flowing down the Rockies will bring another dusting of snow to eastern resorts from Calgary to Wyoming.

Then on Thursday, a weak storm system passes over the Cascades and tracks southeast through the Rockies, bringing light to moderate snowfall. Although the situation is still uncertain, there’s a good chance resorts in Colorado and Wyoming will once again benefit the most from this one, with a fresh top-up of high-quality powder likely. 

That’s all from me today, folks. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Thursday for another weekly rundown of North America’s highlights and snowlights.

Grasshopper