The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Australian Forecast – A Mint Weekend Before a Wet & Windy Monday and a Dusting Tuesday

Published early Friday, 11^th September 2026

A cold southerly that came through on Wednesday allowed the snow guns to give the slopes of Thredbo and Perisher, the only resorts still open, a nice top-up through to early Thursday, bolstering the few groomed runs we have left. The snow cover may be lean, but we’ll have beautiful, warm and sunny spring weather today, Friday, and right through the weekend, so make the most of it.

Things turn a bit grotty Monday as a weak front brings rain and strong winds, but a colder change on Tuesday could deliver a 1-4cm dusting, mostly up high. Chilly temperatures should also give the snow guns another chance to top up the slopes.

Friday 11^th September

An absolute corker with calm, warm, sunny skies, a little cloud popping up in the afternoon.

Saturday 12^th September

Another mint, warm day with little to no wind and a little afternoon cloud again.

Sunday 13^th September

Mint again with a warm northwest breeze and some high cloud.

Monday 14^th September

A bit of a grotty morning as a weak front passes over, bringing rain and strong northwest winds. However, it’ll be a nice afternoon as skies clear and winds back off.

Tuesday 14^th September

Showers develop in the morning, then gradually turn to snow as northwest winds turn to a colder southwest. We could see up to 1-4cm accumulate, mostly on mid-upper slopes, before skies clear later in the afternoon. The cold temps will also allow the snow guns to get stuck into their work overnight

Extended Forecast

Unfortunately, the extended outlook won’t be doing our meagre scraps of snow too many favours. We’ll at least get a nice spell through mid-next week as high pressure drifts overhead from Wednesday the 16th through Friday the 18th of September, gradually turning the cold southerlies around to warmer northwesterlies.

Hair-dryer northwesterlies will really crank up over the weekend of the 19th and 20th, before a weak front rolls through on Monday the 21st, bringing little more than a few light rain showers.

That’s all from me today, folks. I’m firing out these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the rest of the season. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you back here Monday.

Grasshopper

New Zealand Forecast –  Powder, Westerlies & More Freshies on the Horizon

Published early Friday, 11^th September 2026

Kiwi ski fields are positively glowing with blinding white light reflecting off a brand-spanking-new layer of powder. Yet another one of these spring cold fronts zipped up the country Wednesday night and through Thursday, topping up South Island ski fields with another 5–15cm, although Mt Hutt went one step further with a reported 20cm. Numbers from Mt Ruapehu haven’t come in yet, but I’m expecting a dusting down at base level and a bigger top-up on the upper slopes to show up in this morning’s reports.

Unsettled spring westerlies continue to rule the roost for the foreseeable future, with a windy Friday likely to cause a few headaches for lift operations, especially in the Southern Lakes. The weekend looks fairly decent overall, with a mix of sunshine, cloud and a few flurries down south, while Canterbury gets the better end of the deal with plenty of sunshine.

Monday shapes up as a cracker before things start going downhill again Tuesday. A front moves in Tuesday night, kicking off another stormy spell through mid-next week, bringing more freshies and cold temperatures that’ll keep the slopes gleaming.

Friday 11^th September

Westerly winds ramp up across the country, reaching gale force in exposed areas and likely hampering lift operations. The Southern Lakes will have partly sunny, partly cloudy skies with a few light snow showers, mostly about the Queenstown ski fields during the afternoon.

In Canterbury, there’ll be some cloud spilling over the Main Divide, but Mt Hutt will be nice ’n sunny and fairly sheltered from the strong winds.

Mt Ruapehu is also in for a partly sunny, partly cloudy day before light mid- and upper-level snow showers develop around evening, giving the upper slopes a dusting.

Saturday 12^th September

Strong, cold southwest winds gradually turn to a milder west-to-northwesterly. A mostly fine morning in the Southern Lakes will turn cloudy during the afternoon, before another surge of strong southwesterlies brings light snow showers overnight and a 1–4cm dusting for the ski fields.

Canterbury meanwhile stays nice and sunny, while clouds clear Mt Ruapehu during the morning for a mint afternoon.

Sunday 13^th September

Strong southwesterlies gradually back off and turn westerly. The Southern Lakes will continue to have fine and cloudy spells with a few flurries still possible, while Canterbury stays mostly fine again, although Mt Hutt could see a few light afternoon showers.

Mt Ruapehu will see more snow showers, but they’ll turn wet about the lower slopes during the morning as snow levels rise. Skies then clear later in the afternoon for a nice end to the day.

Monday 14^th September

Fine across the South Island with some high cloud. Westerly winds for the Southern Lakes and southwest breezes for Canterbury.

Mt Ruapehu will have just a little afternoon cloud in an otherwise perfectly sunny day, with a light southwest breeze.

Tuesday 15^th September

Northwest winds strengthen over the South Island as a front approaches from the west, eventually reaching gale force in exposed areas. Clouds gradually build throughout the day before the front moves in over the Southern Lakes after dark, bringing heavy rain and high-level snow.

Mt Ruapehu stays sunny, with a southwest breeze.

Extended Forecast

The front moving into the Southern Lakes Tuesday night will sweep north over the country through Wednesday and Thursday, the 16th and 17th of September. A strong, cold southwest flow follows hot on its heels, bringing snow showers to Kiwi ski fields through Friday the 18th. The Southern Lakes look best placed to cash in, with a decent powder top-up on the cards.

West-to-southwest winds will likely stick around through the weekend of the 19th and 20th, remaining strongest over the Southern Lakes. A couple of weak fronts could bring further light showers there, while Canterbury and Mt Ruapehu should see a mix of sunshine and cloud.

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

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