The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Australian Forecast – Warm & Wet Storm Turns Cooler this Weekend with a Little Snow Up High

Published early Wednesday, 17^th June 2026

A storm system approaching from the Australian Bight will continue feeding in warm, humid northerlies on Wednesday, and then we’ll cop a load of rain on Thursday as a rainband crosses the Aussie Alps.

As the storm centre passes through the Bass Strait, a cooler airmass will arrive, and we’ll see snow falling about the very tops on Friday, and then a little to mid slopes on Saturday and Sunday as the storm sails off into the Tasman. All up, we could receive several centremetres about the tops and a couple at mid-elevations. It won’t be enough to change the situation, but cold temperatures over the next few days should have the snow guns running, and there’s a little hope for more snow on the horizon.

Wednesday 17^th June

A warm, humid north-northwesterly breeze pushes in cloud and some early morning drizzle. The resorts will be rather clagged-in with low visibility, but skies will brighten for New South Wales in the afternoon as the cloud thins.

Thursday 18^th June

Clagged-in, low-visibility conditions again as drizzle builds into rain, and northerly winds become strong while a nasty front moves eastwards over the Aussie Alps. It won’t be a great day for our precious wee snowpack.

Friday 19^th June

Rain at times with strong northwest winds. Temperatures will cool during the morning, with snow falling to about 1800-1900m through the second half of the day.

Saturday 20^th June

Temperatures continue to cool with light snowfall or flurries on the upper slopes gradually lowering to around 1600-1700m briefly before clearing in the afternoon, while west-northwest winds die away.

Sunday 21^st June

Mostly cloudy with some light afternoon showers falling as snow about the upper slopes. Winds will be light.

Extended Forecast

It should stay fairly cold early next week with potential for the snow guns to get some runs in. We could also see light snow showers on Tuesday the 23^rd as a weak cold front brushes past. Settled high pressure is then expected from Wednesday, the 24^th.

Towards the end of the month, models are picking another bout of unsettled weather with the potential for snow. It’s too early to make any calls, but we’ll be watching it with eagle eyes.

That’s all from me today, folks. I’m sending out these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the season, and during July and August I’ll fire one out on Sundays too. Have a great couple of days, and I’ll see you back here on Friday.

Grasshopper

New Zealand Forecast –  Ski Fields Pick Up Fresh Snow, Will It Be Enough To Get Us Through A Rough Spell Fri & Sat?

Published early Wednesday, 17^th June 2026

We’ve had a slight change in fortune the last couple of days, thanks to a pair of cold fronts giving us a shot of snow. Canterbury received snow on Monday, with Mt Hutt scoring 8-15cm, so the slopes there are looking gloriously white.

We’re still waiting on reports for the Southern Lakes, which is expected to have received snow Tuesday night. Earlier forecasts were calling for 5-15cm, but we can now expect 2-8cm. However, cold temperatures should have the snow guns blazing for much of Wednesday and Thursday, making up the shortfall.

If we could leave it at that, we’d be looking much better for the rescheduled Opening Day this Saturday. However, conditions will deteriorate on Friday before becoming much rougher on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain lashing the South Island as an active front passes over. Our new, fledgling snowpack will take a hit, but hopefully there’s enough left over for Sunday when the weather will be much nicer and settled.

Wednesday 17^th June

Fresh snow for the Southern Lakes after the front crosses the region overnight. Leftover cloud will clear later in the morning, and cold southwest breezes should have the snow guns blazing throughout the day.

The front passes over Canterbury before breaky, with just a light dusting for ski fields along the Craigieburn Range, while Mt Hutt stays dry. A deck of clouds may lower below base levels in the afternoon as a northwest breeze develops; we might see some snowmaking before then.

Thursday 18^th June

A nice, fine day for South Island ski fields, with just a little cloud during the morning. Light, chilly breezes from the west to southwest should have the snow guns running for long periods, especially morning and night.

Friday 19^th June

Strong northwesterlies develop and cloud increases over the South Island as a front approaches from the west. Rain showers will start spilling over the Main Divide onto the Southern Lakes from the afternoon, and then onto Canterbury from evening. It’ll be too warm for snow or snowmaking, so our poor wee snowpack will take a bit of a hit.

Saturday 20^th

It’ll be a rough day for the much-anticipated Opening Day with strong northwest winds and rain lashing the South Island as a front passes over. The rain will be heavy for a time as the front crosses the Southern Lakes in the morning, and then Canterbury in the afternoon. Conditions will ease behind the front, so if you were to pick a time and place, I’d say late afternoon in the Southern Lakes would be the pick in a bunch of sour grapes. The northwester in Canterbury will be off the charts, so Mt Hutt isn’t likely to open.

Sunday 21^st

A much nicer day for a proper opening with sunny skies and chilly westerly breezes, which will have the snow guns running again, especially down in the Southern Lakes. Hopefully, there’s enough of a snowpack left to get things going.

Extended Forecast

Next week, a ridge of high pressure will keep things nice and settled on Monday and Tuesday, the 22^nd and 23^rd June. Signs then look promising for snow at some point between Wednesday, the 24^th and Sunday, the 28^th, with models picking a significant cold outbreak. Hopefully Friday’s forecast will give us more confidence on this one.

That’s all from me today, folks. I’m sending out NZ forecasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the season. Have a great couple of days, and I’ll see you back here on Friday.

Grasshopper

Weekly Japan Forecast – A Better Week Ahead With More Snow & Colder Temps

Written late Wednesday, 4^th March (Japan Standard Time)

Well folks, this will be my final forecast for the 2025–2026 Japanese snow season. It’s been a solid month of limited snowfall and unseasonably warm temperatures across Japan, with the past seven days in particular delivering very little fresh snow. After an epic January and early February, the Japow machine has largely switched off, and we’ve seen considerable snow loss as a result.

However, the next seven days look far more promising, with a few decent rounds of powder and cold temps on the way. Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday are shaping up as the standout days, with the bulk of the snowfall expected then. There are still a few weeks left in the season, and spring skiing brings warmer temperatures, longer days and more sunshine. It’s my personal favourite, so get amongst it! 

Thursday 5^th & Friday 6^th March

Thursday will be a powder day of sorts as remaining snowfall across the country gradually dries up. This comes after a storm from the southwest arrived late Tuesday, bringing warm temperatures and rain at first. Temperatures were quick to drop over Northern Honshu and Hokkaido, so there was fresh snow in this Wednesday morning’s reports. However, it was not your usual “lake-effect” Japow; it was denser, maritime snow coming off the Pacific Ocean, akin to what we get in Australia and NZ. As I put pen to paper, snow levels over Central Honshu are also on their way down from the mid-slopes and will get nice and low this Wednesday night.

Friday will stay mostly dry, but there’ll be some isolated flurries lingering on Hokkaido. Temperatures will rocket back up on Honshu as warm southerlies develop ahead of the next storm approaching from the west in the Sea of Japan. Rain from this storm spreads across the country Friday night, falling as snow to fairly low levels on Hokkaido, where temperatures will be much colder.

Saturday 7^th February & Sunday 8^th March

The storm will continue over the country throughout Saturday and Sunday morning, then gradually wind down during the latter half of Sunday. Snow levels about the mid-to-upper slopes of Honshu will gradually lower to base levels by late Saturday, while on Hokkaido, they’ll have to climb over a hill before a period of heavy snowfall to near sea level early Sunday.

Snowfall totals for the weekend are expected to be around 20-50+ cm, with resorts in Niigata and southwest Hokkaido favoured for the deepest totals.

Monday 9^th to Wednesday 11^th March

Leftover snow showers over northern Honshu will clear up Monday morning, but will persist on Hokkaido.

Central Honshu will stay dry on Monday, but another low-pressure system passing on the Pacific side will pull in a fresh surge of cold air from Monday night, bringing another round of snow for a 10-30+ cm powder day on Tuesday. The passing low will also bring a dusting to northern Honshu and Hokkaido on Tuesday.

A ridge of high pressure will then bring dry, settled weather next Wednesday.

That’s all from me today, and for the season. It’s been a real pleasure bringing you all the snowlights of the 2025-2026 season, which will go down in the history books as having one of the best runs of powder days from Jan through early Feb. See you in June when the Aussie and Kiwi seasons get underway.

Grasshopper

Weekly North America Forecast – Temps Fluctuate as Storms Favour the North

Written Wednesday, 5^th March (Pacific Standard Time)

Well, guys and gals, this will be my final forecast for the 2025-2026 North American snow season. It’s been a funny ol’ season that saw some Canadian resorts cranking through December with near-endless snowfall, followed by a long, warm, dry spell, which US resorts in particular suffered from as high-pressure took over the West, while the East went into a storm-laden deep freeze.

Storms returned to the West mid Feb, and resorts have had a great few weeks as snowpacks have bounced back. At present, snowpacks in the northern half of the Rockies, from Canada and Alberta down to Wyoming and Idaho, are sitting at or above their long-term median, highlighting where conditions have been the best this season.

Storms will once again favour the north in the upcoming seven-day period, although snow quality and snow levels will fluctuate as warm and cold airmasses are dragged in with each storm system. The central and northern US Rockies will also receive a nice round of powder at the start of this period (Thursday and Friday), before settled high pressure then takes hold over the central and southern US.

Thursday 5^th & Friday 6^th March

A storm that arrived in the northwest on Wednesday will continue tracking southeast through the US Rockies on Thursday before exiting late Friday. The storm, which started wet and warm, will see snow levels drop as a cold front now leads the charge. Snowfall will favour northern Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah on Thursday and then Colorado on Friday. Totals will mostly range between 15-40cm in the central and northern US Rockies, with 40-50+cm possible in the most exposed terrain, particularly in Montana.

Leftover snow showers will give BC and the Cascades a further dusting before the storm exits the area on Thursday. But a new storm entering the northwest from late Thursday through Friday will bring a mix of rain and dense snow as a warm, humid air flows in from the Pacific. The bulk of this will fall in northern BC, with only light falls in southern BC, where most resorts are located.

Having received a few showers on Wednesday, Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada will stay dry for Thursday and Friday, while Arizona and New Mexico will only get a light dusting in their northern parts.

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th March

This weekend, all the action will take place in the north. The warm storm that arrives here on Friday will become colder on Sunday as a cold front pushes down from the north. Once the cold front hits, snow levels will drop, and snow quality will improve.

Interior BC, the northern Cascades, and to a lesser extent, Alberta, will be favoured for the biggest accumulations of this quality powder during the latter half of Sunday, while Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will also see snow developing ahead of the cold front on the warm side of the storm.

Monday 9^th to Wednesday 11^th March

Most of the action continues in the north during this period, with the cold front pushing down into southern Idaho and Wyoming during Monday, where it’ll stall for a while. Areas north of this will be treated to light-to-moderate falls of smoky powder on Monday and Tuesday.

But on Wednesday, temperatures and snow levels will rocket up as a new, warmer storm enters the fray, bringing heavy low-to-mid-level rain and upper-level snow. The northern Cascades, in particular, are expected to get nailed. Thankfully, this injection of warm, humid air will be short-lived, and by the end of the day (Wednesday), temperatures will be hastily making their way down.

In the south, a weaker storm system will track over Arizona and New Mexico on Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures will be warm, so it’ll be a mix of rain and snow for resorts there. If we’re lucky, some resorts could see moderate accumulations on their upper slopes.

That’s all from me today, and for the season. It’s been a blast and a pleasure being a part of it all. See you all in June when the Aussie and Kiwi seasons get underway.

Grasshopper