The Grasshopper – The Latest Snow Forecast

Australian Forecast – A Great End to a Great Season

Published early Friday, 3^rd October 2025

Snow came in as expected during the early hours on Thursday with resorts reporting a few cents had gathered by the time they opened. Another 5cm had stacked up on Perisher’s snow stake before the snow cleared Thursday night. It’s a great wee addition to the snowpack that will see us nicely through the last four days of the season. Mt Buller, Hotham and Falls Creek will have their grand finale’s on Sunday, Thredbo and Perisher have theirs on Monday, which is a public holiday for Labour Day.

This is the final forecast of the season, which starts off with windy, mucky conditions today in Victoria, a fine start in NSW, Friday, before high pressure moves in for a warm, sunny weekend, though winds strengthen for Closing Day in Victoria on Sunday. Closing Day in NSW will have a wet, blustery start as a front passes over early Monday morning, but skies will brighten again for the season’s final turns.

Friday 3^rd October

Cloudy, clagged-in conditions with snow flurries in western Victoria, spreading elsewhere in the afternoon while turning wet and drizzly about lower and mid slopes. Strong southwesterly winds in exposed areas back off a touch.

Saturday 4^th October

A ridge of high pressure brings nice, sunny skies with a little high cloud while southwest winds gradually swing northwest.

Sunday 5^th October

Closing Day for Mt Buller, Hotham and Falls Creek will be dry with increasing high cloud. However, warm northwest winds strengthen, so keep an eye on lift operations.

Monday 6^th October

Closing Day for Thredbo and Perisher will start with a little rain and strong northwest winds as a front passes over first thing in the morning. Behind the front, we’ll be left with partly cloudy skies with sunny spells, and lighter westerly breezes.

That’s all from me for today and the season, folks. It’s been an absolute pleasure sharing all the highs and lows with you. I’m taking off to hibernate in the back country, but I’ll be back sometime in December when the northern hemisphere season starts cranking. See you then!

Grasshopper

New Zealand Forecast – A Stormy End To The Season

Published early Friday, 3^rd October 2025

Well folks, we made it. This is the last forecast of the season. Cardrona and Mt Olympus close this Sunday, leaving The Remarkables and Mt Hutt to hold the fort down south until they also close next Sunday. Whakapapa and Turoa will remain open until the 26^th of October. So make the most of it while you can.

The riding continues to be exceptional in the Southern Lakes after the region scored a couple of 10-20cm powder dumps on Sunday and Tuesday night. Mt Hutt also received 5cm on Wednesday, while Mt Ruapehu had a dusting.

We’ll sneak in some nice weather for a great Friday session ahead of a Tasman Low crossing the country this weekend, bringing a mix of rain and snow. Colder southerlies arriving on the South Island late Saturday will give the Southern Lakes and Canterbury a top-up of dense snow through into Sunday.

Conditions deteriorate on Monday as strong, stormy westerlies once again arrive on Kiwi slopes, with fronts and gales expected to rattle ski fields throughout the week. However, the Southern Lakes in particular will pick up some nice shots of powder in the process.

Friday 3^rd October

A mostly clear, sunny morning up in the mountains, with low cloud filling the valleys and plains. Cloud then builds ahead of a Tasman Low, which spreads rain southwards over Mt Ruapehu in the afternoon as westerlies swing north. After dark, the rain spreads over the South Island, falling as snow to mid-levels or lower in the Southern Lakes. South Island ski fields will also have light breezes from the northerly quarter.

Saturday 4^th October

A bit of a soggy day as the Tasman low continues to cross the country, bringing periods of rain to the ski fields. However, dense snow will fall to around mid-levels for the Southern Lakes, where there’ll be a cooler southeast breeze. Winds will come from the northwest for Mt Ruapehu, and northeast for Canterbury.

In the evening, snow levels fall to base levels across the South Island as a colder southerly arrives. A little snow will also fall about mid- and upper-slopes of Mt Ruapehu before drying up overnight.

Sunday 5^th October

Snowfall across the South Island clears the Southern Lakes in the afternoon and Canterbury at night as the low pulls away to the east, allowing chilly southerly winds to start easing. The winds will be strong in Canterbury throughout day, which might affect lift operations. This low is likely to deliver a top-up of between 5 and 20cm from base to summit. Overall, not a bad one for Closing Day at Cardrona.

Showers of rain and upper-level snow kick up over Mt Ruapehu in the afternoon, then clear at night shortly after northwesterlies turn southerly.

Monday 6^th October

Not a bad start for the South Island, but conditions will quickly deteriorate as a front approaches from the west, likely affecting lift operations. Cloud increases and northwest winds rapidly strengthen, reaching severe-gale in exposed spots, before the front spreads rain northwards during the afternoon with heavy falls on the cards. A colder westerly change at night will see the rain transition to snow.

Mt Ruapehu will see a bit of cloud and a few light showers, falling as snow about mid- to upper-slopes, while westerly winds pick up.

Tuesday 7^th October

Snow showers over the Southern Lakes taper off, then clear in the afternoon with sunny skies, as brisk, chilly southwesterlies gradually swing northwest. A few more snow showers will show up at night.

Mt Hutt will score a fresh dusting of snow, thanks to a brief southwest change. Other than that, skies will be mostly clear, but winds will start strong from the northwest which may delay things.

Mt Ruapehu will cop a load of heavy rain before opening as the front passes over. Showers of snow and low-level rain will continue throughout the day with strong westerly winds.

Extended Forecast

Strong, unsettled westerlies will persist through to the end of next week, marring the season’s final days for The Remarkables and Mt Hutt, where lift operations will likely be affected. Gales will be the norm, with peaks in wind strength coming ahead of a couple of passing frontal systems due around late Thursday/Friday and next weekend. Expect a bout of rain followed by snow with both systems as they bring a dip in temperatures.

That’s all from me for today and the season, folks. It’s been an absolute pleasure sharing all the highs and lows with you. I’m taking off to hibernate in the back country, but I’ll be back sometime in December when the northern hemisphere season starts cranking. See you then!

Grasshopper

Weekly Japan Forecast – Japan’s Firing

Written Friday morning, 2^nd January (Japan Standard Time)

Once it starts, it hardly stops here in Japan. After the Boxing Day Storm delivered deep powder over a 2 to 3-day period, the next storm rolled in late New Year’s Eve with big numbers showing up once again for the first snow reports of 2026, including a whopping 70 cm for Geto Kogen and 30 cm for Myoko.

The current storm cycle will continue for the next several days, with an extra surge on Sunday keeping the snow falling across the country through into Tuesday. More big numbers are expected. High pressure will then bring a brief pause in the action, before a passing Pacific storm triggers another dump of powder Thursday into Friday.

Friday 2^nd to Sunday 4th January

The New Year’s storm will continue dumping snow over Central Honshu during the next three days, with totals mostly ranging from 25 to 70 cm. There’ll be heavy snowfall at times, especially in the north of the region, but will back off from the south late Saturday through early Sunday as the storm winds down. However, snowfall will ramp up again from late Sunday as the next storm surge arrives from the north.

Further north, snowfall will be lighter and more sporadic, with some blue sky even showing up, especially over Northern Honshu. However, the next storm surge will arrive earlier on Sunday, with an increase in cold, west-to-northwest winds bringing more consistent light-to-moderate snowfall. A tidy three-day accumulation of 10 to 30 cm is expected, which resorts near Niseko and Sapporo are likely to capitalise on.

Monday 5^th & Tuesday 6^th January

After the next storm arrives Sunday, moderate-to-heavy snowfall will continue over the country through Monday. Snow will clear Central Honshu first during the early hours of Tuesday as high pressure pushes in for a settled, rip-snorter of a powder day. Snow will then gradually ease and clear over Northern Honshu and Hokkaido during the remainder of Tuesday. Most major resorts throughout the country should pick up between 20 and 50 cm.

Wednesday 7^th & Thursday 8^th January

Wednesday will start dry and settled across the country as the high departs into the Pacific. This will leave the door open for a warm, southern storm system to scoot up Honshu’s Pacific coastline during the latter half of the day. The storm will blow up big-time, but, thankfully, most precipitation will stick to the east, where a mix of rain and snow will fall.

The storm continues tracking northeast on Thursday, where it’ll suck in cold winds off the continent and dump heavy snow over the Japanese mountains. This snowstorm is expected to be short and sharp, with most models showing things will gradually clear up on Friday.

That’s all from me today, folks. Have a great week, and I’ll see you here next Thursday for another weekly rundown of Japan’s highlights and snowlights.

Grasshopper

Weekly North America Forecast – Another Big Week Ahead as the Storm Cycle Trends Colder

Written Thursday afternoon, 1^st January (Pacific Standard Time)

Another mixed week for resorts in the US and Canada with last week’s storm dropping huge totals in California’s Sierras while resorts in the northern Rockies also saw a decent refresh. However further south, Utah and Colorado have remained pretty dry and mild, the year finishing with the snowpack at a near-record low.

A couple of storms in the next week will again favour regions to the west, but they will make their way further east, dropping some much-needed snow across the Central Rockies.

Friday 2^nd to Monday 5^th January

On Friday, a storm that kicked off in the Sierras late New Year’s Eve before spreading into the Rockies on New Year’s Day will gradually clear the west, leaving behind a light-to-moderate layer of new snow and mild temperatures.

After a brief break, the next storm arrives in BC, the Pacific Northwest and Sierras Friday night, and then spreads inland to the Rockies once again on Saturday. The storm will start warm with elevated snow levels, but will trend colder as cooler air pushes in from the northern Pacific. There’ll be heavy snowfall at higher elevations in BC’s Coast mountains and around Tahoe and in the Sierras, where it’ll continue through till late Monday, while the storm winds down earlier in the day elsewhere.

Tuesday 6^th to Thursday 8^th January

On Tuesday, the next storm rolls down over Canada into the Cascades and northern Idaho and Montana, with heavy snowfall along the Coastal Mountains and moderate falls inland. Cold temps will see that it’s high-quality stuff.

The quality will remain high, but the storm weakens and slows as it continues to spread southwards during Wednesday and Thursday, with lighter snowfall reaching Tahoe and the Sierras, and then Utah and Colorado.

Meanwhile, further south, a weak storm will pass over Arizona and New Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing a much-needed dusting or top-up of snow to resorts there.

That’s all from me today, folks. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Thursday for another weekly rundown of North America’s highlights and snowlights.

Grasshopper