The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Australian Forecast – More Snow Up High Before a Warm, Sunny End to the Week

Published early Monday, 13^th July 2026

The storm that rolled in late Saturday has so far delivered on its promise, with resorts picking up 10-20+cm of quality powder by Sunday morning. Snow showers continued through Sunday, building late in the day, but temperatures also crept up Sunday night, making it marginal for snow below 1700m. Still, at the time of writing in these wee hours of Monday morning, Perisher’s snow stake has had about 10cm of new snow since 9am Sunday morning. Reggae and his merry band of trusty reporters will give us the real numbers on this in their morning reports.

It’ll be wild and woolly as the storm rages on until Tuesday night, bringing snow showers to mid and upper slopes, with another 10-30cm on the cards. Snow levels will primarily hover between 1600-1800m, making for wet and soggy conditions on the lower slopes. Keep an eye on lift ops, as these will likely be affected by strong winds out of the west-to-northwest and blizzard conditions.

Wednesday onwards will be the time to hit it for all you fair-weather cruisers, as good ol’ high pressure moves in to settle things down for a sunny and warm end to the week.

Monday 13^th July

Showers continue, falling as snow mostly on the mid and upper slopes, with snow levels hovering between 1600 and 1800 m, making for wet conditions on the lower slopes. From dawn, the upper slopes could see another 5-15cm for the day. Strong, chilly northwest winds will intensify even more during the day, possibly affecting lift operations and bringing blizzard conditions again.

Tuesday 14^th July

Snow showers continue on mid and upper slopes as snow levels remain within 1600-1800m throughout the day. The upper slopes could score another 5-15cm, while the lower slopes will be wet and soggy. Strong west-to-northwest winds and blizzard conditions may again affect lift operations. The snow will briefly dip to lower levels at night before quickly clearing as a colder, drier southwesterly wind change arrives.

Wednesday 15^th July

Any leftover cloud clears early for a clear, sunny day as strong, cold southerlies ease.

Thursday 16^th July

A mint, sunny day, and a surprisingly warm one with light southerly breezes. A good day to make the most of all that fresh snow if you hadn’t already!

Friday 17^th July

Another warm sunny day with a light southerly breeze.

Extended Forecast

Fine, settled high pressure will see us through the weekend, the 18^th and 19^th of July, for a couple of great days on the slopes.

The next storm system is likely to cross our way mid next week, sometime between late Tuesday the 21^st, and Friday the 24^th. Models aren’t well aligned at this stage, but it’s likely a weak one that’ll bring mostly rain and high-level snow.

That’s all from me today, folks. I’m firing out these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the season, and an extra update on Sundays during peak season. Have a great couple of days, and I’ll see you back here on Wednesday.

Grasshopper

New Zealand Forecast –  A Stormy Start to the Work Week for the South, But It’ll End Nice

Published early Monday, 13^th July 2026

It was a ripper of a long Matariki weekend in Aotearoa after last week’s storm delivered snow in the nick of time to Kiwi resorts, with Canterbury getting absolutely buried under 70-120cm of powder.

A couple of fronts from the west will cross the country on Monday and Tuesday, bringing stormy conditions with a mix of rain and high-level snow while northwest winds blow a strong gale. Keep an eye on lift operations as they’ll likely be affected.

We’ll then see a cooler westerly flow with a couple more weak fronts bringing a little sprinkling of snow to the Southern Lakes and a little more high-level snow to Canterbury and Mt Ruapehu on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by fine weather.

Monday 13^th July

A rough, stormy day as a front moves up the South Island, bringing a mix of rain and high-level snow, and strong gale northwesterlies.

For the Southern Lakes, rain falling as snow on the upper slopes builds during the morning into a period of heavy falls around midday as the front passes. Conditions start to ease later in the afternoon. Ski fields here could score anywhere between 5 and 30cm about their upper slopes, with Treble Cone likely receiving the lion’s share being closest to the Main Divide.

Winds will blow particularly hard in Canterbury ahead of the front, which moves up the region during the afternoon and evening. Some snow is possible on the upper slopes initially, but for the most part, ski fields will just see rain as snow levels will quickly lift as the front moves in.

Mt Ruapehu will be mostly cloudy and could see a little drizzle or flurries in the afternoon as northwest winds pick up.

Tuesday 14^th July

Another stormy day for the South Island, similar to Monday, as the next front crosses, bringing another round of rain, high-altitude snow, and strong gale northwesterlies. Conditions will improve quickly behind the front from late afternoon for the Southern Lakes, but this won’t happen till after dark in Canterbury.

A weak front passing over Mt Ruapehu brings a dusting of snow to mid-levels during the early morning hours. Behind the front, brisk northwesterlies will push in light showers and snow about the upper slopes until early afternoon.

Wednesday 15^th July

Colder northwesterlies will bring a snow flurry or two to the Southern Lakes during the morning, then clouds will clear for a sunny afternoon.

A front moving over Canterbury brings a period of snow to the upper slopes, possibly even to mid-slopes, during the morning and afternoon, but it’ll likely be wet about the lower slopes. Northwest winds.

Mt Ruapehu will be mostly cloudy with a few spots of drizzle and westerly winds.

Thursday 16^th July

Westerly winds over the South Island will bring mostly fine weather to ski fields there, although the Southern Lakes could receive a sprinkling of snow before dawn following by clearing morning clouds.

A weak front will bring light snowfall to the upper slopes of Mt Ruapehu during the morning hours, with light rain down lower. It’ll be much nicer in the afternoon with partly sunny skies as westerly winds turn southwest.

Friday 17^th July

A fine day across South Island ski fields with westerly winds, which pick up over the Southern Lakes.

A mostly fine day for Mt Ruapehu with a southwest breeze, although there could be some cloud about the lower slopes.

Extended Forecast

A short, sharp cold southerly change is expected to bring a small shot or dusting of snow to South Island ski fields on Saturday, 19^th July. Mt Ruapehu may miss out on this, unfortunately.

We’ll then see a period of settled weather from Sunday, the 19^th, through early next week as high pressure drifts over the country. Then, from about Wednesday, the 22^nd, the next storm is expected to hit the country. At this stage, models are picking that this storm will come from the north.

Mt Ruapehu is likely to cop a heap of rain, but if temperatures work in our favour, the South Island, Canterbury in particular, could receive a top-up of snow. However, that’s touch-and-go at the moment, so hopefully Wednesday’s forecast brings more certainty of snow.

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 Wednesday.

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