The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Friday 20 September – An ugly couple of days, but snow on Monday

Synoptic Outlook

Our snowpack will take a battering as a low + front combo dumps a whole swag of rain over the Aussie Alps during Saturday. Not to mention warm northerly winds will go absolutely berserk too.

However, colder air following the front will see a teeny little bit snow falling mostly on upper slopes from late Saturday afternoon into Sunday.

Things will look a lot prettier after another surge of cold air during Monday powders up the place with a few centimetres of snow.

Image of The Day

Things are about to get a whole lot uglier as that low + front combo swing past the Aussie Alps tomorrow. Things will look a lot prettier after a few centimetres of snow powders up the place during Monday. Source: NZ Metservice (vandalised by the Grasshopper)

Friday 19 September

Warm northerly winds with sunshine and variable high cloud.

Saturday 20 September

A horrendous day! Northerly winds reaching severe gale while rain sets in during the morning, with heavy falls and possible thunderstorms during the afternoon. Rain may turn to snow on upper slopes on western resorts in Victoria from late afternoon as it starts to ease. Winds also start to abate from late afternoon.

Sunday 21 September

A partly cloudy day with a few snow flurries, which are likely to be wet and slushy on lower slopes. Stiff NW winds.

Monday 22 September

Snow showers with brisk W-NW winds.

Extended Outlook

Chilly westerlies will continue to blow through Tuesday, but it’ll stay dry with just a bit of cloud around.

A weak front may brush the Aussie Alps next Wednesday, with only a few flurries at best on upper slopes.

After that, high pressure should bring settled conditions during Thursday, followed by another weak front or two next weekend.

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.

Friday 20 September – Sweet as this weekend

Synoptic Outlook

Happy high-pressure weather today and through the weekend. Get out and enjoy the sunshine.

Monday doesn’t look so happy, as a rather wet looking front will pass over the Southern Lakes during the early hours and Canterbury around midday. All the cold air lies behind the main band of precipitation, so mostly rain will fall.

Image of The Day

Nice weather through the weekend thanks to the happy high sitting to our left. A wet looking front will bring a case of the Monday blues. Source: NZ Metservice (vandalised by the Grasshopper)

Friday 20 September

Crystal clear over the Southern Lakes, but cloud will linger in Canterbury until this afternoon. Southerly winds dying away.

Mostly fine on Ruapehu with some afternoon cloud and a southeasterly breeze.

Saturday 20 September

A beautiful, sunny spring day across the country with mostly light winds.

Sunday 21 September

Fine for the south, but high cloud will increase from afternoon as NW winds strengthen.

A rare calm, sunny day for Ruapehu. Get amongst!

Monday 22 September

Rain over South Island ski fields will clear the Southern Lakes by brekkie time and Canterbury around midday as severe gale northwesterlies ease to a moderate westerly. Some snow may fall about the tops.

Stiff westerly winds push cloud onto Ruapehu and there’ll be some afternoon showers, falling as snow above 1800m.

Extended Outlook

You’ll be able to shake off those Monday blues because Tuesday is looking terrific – in terms of snow that is. That wet ol’ front will spin up into a low, which will then scoot over the centre of NZ. Cold air on it’s back and underside will bring fresh powder to ski fields across the country, with Canterbury and Ruapehu likely to receive a healthy top-up, and just a light dusting for the Southern Lakes.

Perhaps even more powder will fall across NZ during Wednesday and Thursday, as a vigorous cold front is likely to cross the country. Just what we need at this time of year.

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.