The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Monday 24 June – Sunnies and sunscreen

Synoptic Outlook

We have nice, calm and sunny conditions lined up for the working week, thanks to the high in the Bass Strait, which leaves a lovely ridge over us while it drifts over the Tasman Sea. Overnight temps should be cold enough for snow machines to keep groomed runs in pristine order. Don’t forget your sunnies and sunscreen.

Image of The Day

High pressure and sunshine is lined up for this working week. Source:: NZ Metservice (vandalised by the Grasshopper)

Monday 24 June

Sunny apart from some morning cloud about NSW resorts. Light NE breezes.

Tuesday 25 June

Fine with high cloud and light winds.

Wednesday 26 June

A stunning, calm and sunny day. Happy hump day!

Thursday 27 June

Another sunny day with northerly breezes developing.

Extended Outlook

The run of fine weather comes to an end this weekend as a front is set to cross the Aussie Alps late Saturday into early Sunday. The front will be preceded by warm, gale to severe gale northerly winds and a bucket of rain. However, cold westerlies behind the front will see that rain turn to snow and we can expect a light-moderate wad of it to fall.

That’s all from the Grasshopper. Wanna keep your finger on the pulse of all things snow? Join my weekly email list by filling in the box below. If you have a question or feedback for me, hit me up on facebook.

Monday 24 June – A settled and sunny week ahead

Synoptic Outlook

We’ve got a sunny settled week ahead of us folks, thanks to a building ridge of high pressure. The high-pressure centre should drift onto the country during Thursday. Overnight temps will remain nice and chilly so snow machines will keep groomed runs in tip-top shape.

Image of The Day

Once that low moves away today, we’ll have nothing but blue skies and high pressure for the rest of the working week. Source:: NZ Metservice (vandalised by the Grasshopper)

Monday 24 June

A fine day up South Island ski fields. However, cloud lower down may reach lower slopes at times. There’s cloud on Ruapehu, but that should clear to a nice sunny afternoon. Brisk and chilly S-SW winds over the country.

Tuesday 25 June

A blue bird day for everyone. A westerly breeze for the Southern Lakes, light winds elsewhere.

Wednesday 26 June

Nothing but sun and fun to get you through hump day. A westerly breeze remains over the Southern Lakes and light winds elsewhere.

Thursday 27 June

Yet another clear sunny day with light winds for everyone.

Extended Outlook

It should remain mostly fine over the country Friday and Saturday, but westerly winds will pick up over the Southern Lakes as the high shifts up to the North Island. The high then drifts out to the east on Sunday allowing high cloud and NW winds to build ahead of a front, which is likely to affect the South Island early next week.

That’s all from the Grasshopper. Wanna keep your finger on the pulse of all things snow? Join my weekly email list by filling in the box below. If you have a question or feedback for me, hit me up on facebook.

Japan Forecast – Powder day for Honshu & Sunshine for Hokkaido before Mayhem Monday hits.

Thursday 7^th March (Japan time)

Ten-day snow accumulations are tantalisingly sizeable. Source:: windy.com

Now that we’re in the thick of spring, we’ll see it all this week. Rain on Honshu will turn to snow tonight, with Friday set to offer up some good powder and what could be the best conditions of the week for resorts there. Hokkaido will offer fantastic feel-good weather along with a predawn dusting on Sunday to top it all off. Things take a turn on Mayhem Monday however, as an angry low rampages over Japan with super strong winds, heavy rain and snowfalls eventually abating on Tuesday.

Ten-day snow accumulations are tantalisingly sizeable, but the bulk of this will pile up on mid-upper slopes with wetter slushier stuff lower down. Adding to that, some models show a rip-snorter of a snowstorm next weekend that may or may not come to fruition. It would certainly be a fairytale end to what is my last forecast for the season. That’s right folks, this is indeed my last and it has been a blast, but there are still plenty or turns to be made this season before hanging up the skis. See you all again when the southern hemisphere turn on.

Thursday 7 Mar:

A low sitting off the Pacific Coast of Honshu is currently dumping snow onto mid & upper slopes, but rain lower down. Temps will steadily drop from later this afternoon as strong northerly winds hit, with snowfalls lowering to base levels. It’s a lovely day on Hokkaido with plenty of sunshine and winds out of the N-NE.

Friday 8 Mar:

Snowfalls will gradually peter out on Honshu as northerly winds turn to the west. Accumulations from this event will mostly be within the 15-25cm range, so make the most of this fresh bonanza while you can. Hokkaido should have a beautiful sunrise and sunset, with cloud and maybe a snowflake or two in between.

Saturday 9 Mar:

A high passes over southern Honshu in the early hours, turning the winds over Japan to the SW and causing temps to steadily rise to a balmy day with a mix of sun and cloud.

Sunday 10 Mar:

There’ll be a predawn dusting on Hokkaido, with central parts receiving the most, eventually clearing to a beaut day as winds ease. On Honshu, high cloud will thicken during the afternoon as a low approaches from the East China Sea, spreading rain up to central Honshu at night.

Monday 11 Mar:

The low will rampage up Japan with strong winds and warm temps adding to the mayhem caused by rain. There’ll be really heavy falls, especially on the Pacific side of Japan, which will turn to snow about the tops of Honshu at night. Snow will fall to low levels on Hokkaido at first, then gradually lift to upper slopes at night.

Tuesday 12 Mar:

The angry low will track away to the north while rain and snowfalls gradually peter out, but there may be more showers later, which will fall as snow on upper slopes. Winds will blow a gale over northern Honshu and Hokkaido.

Wednesday 13 Mar:

Snow showers and flurries will blow in on a westerly wind, which will be quite strong. The snowfalls will be a bit wet and heavy at low levels.

North American Forecast – Spring Snowfalls Continue

Wednesday 6^th March (Pacific time)

Yet another awesome ten-day snow accumulation chart. This one however, shows good snowfalls more evenly spread throughout North America. Source:: windy.com

The second week of spring looks set to be a doozy with good snowfalls more evenly spread throughout North America compared to previous weeks. This is all thanks to a broad and complex low-pressure system, which drifts over western North America during the next few days, followed a cold airmass pushing south later in the week. With this being the last forecast of the season, there couldn’t be better way to sign out of one of the best seasons in living memory – this one will go down in the books for sure. Happy spring skiing to you all, I’m heading into the back country and will reappear once the leaves are falling in the Southern Hemisphere.

Thursday 7 Mar:

A broad and complex area of low pressure covers almost the entire western half of North America providing scattered light-moderate snowfalls for all-and-sundry, with pockets of heavier falls along the Rockies during the first half of the day as well as the Sierras during the second half. It may be a bit wet and heavy on lower slopes of many resorts due to fairly warm temps.

Friday 8 Mar:

Scattered snowfalls throughout western North America will gradually clear late in the day or at night as all of that low pressure migrates east. The mountains of Wyoming, Utah and Colorado look to gain the most with some heavier (moderate) falls, but again it might be a bit wet and slushy on lower slopes, as temps remain warm there. Temps should be cold enough elsewhere.

Saturday 9 Mar:

High pressure will see a mix of sun and cloud, with just a smattering of leftover flurries over the American Rockies during the morning and isolated snow showers in the Sierras.

Sunday 10 Mar:

Weak low pressure develops over the southern states to provide isolated snow showers for the southern Cascades and Sierras, which eventually spreads inland to Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico at night with decent, moderate-ish falls on the cards. Plenty of sunshine for resorts farther north.

Monday 11 Mar:

After what feels like an eternity, Canada will finally see a good dump of powder courtesy of a cold front rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska. There’ll be moderate-to-heavy snowfalls along the Coast Mountains and light-to-moderate falls further inland. The front will also roll over the Cascades later in the day with moderate-to-heavy falls.

Snowfalls farther south over Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico may actually be heavy at times, especially over the lower two states, with possible thunderstorms to boot.

Tuesday 12 Mar:

The front from the previous day continues to spread light-to-moderate snowfalls south and east from Canada and the Cascades all the way to the Sierras and Utah. Meanwhile, moderate-heavy snowfalls over Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico will ease and become few and far between.

Wednesday 13 Mar:

Scattered light snowfalls throughout the Rockies, but as the cold airmass continues pushing south, there’ll be some slightly heavier, moderate-ish falls over Arizona and New Mexico. Any leftover flurries along the Pacific crest will clear early.