Japan Weather 2012-2013 the coming snow season

[Sandy]

The first northerly autumn frontal system rolled through Japan yesterday.

In Kanazawa (NW coast of central Japan) had warm SW winds overnight yesterday, with temperatures from around 23-24 degrees, but dropped by almost 9 degrees in one hour by morning!!!!

In Nagano city, it dropped late in the evening.

 

[skichanger]

The breeze at Myoko was almost like that cold breeze we get in Aus when it is about to snow.

It was raining yesterday and the locals reckon there is probably snow on the peaks now.

 

[Donza]

hakuba

webcam for alpen route

 

[smitty484]

damian mentioned snow to 1800m

 

[smitty484]

stolen from his facebook page

 

[smackies]

It's like two seasons in the one photo.

Autumn is cool.

 

[skichanger]

Yesterday I could see snow on the mountain you can see from the station at Myoko.

It was quite like 2 seasons in consecutive days. Day before had a real chill in the air but yesterday was warmer. In general, The leaves on trees have only just started changing colour. A few, have changed but most have not.

 

[Sandy]

Only got to 16.4 today in Tokyo. This is quite cool for this time of year!!!!

 

[Sandy]

Snow down to around 2500m on Mt Fuji this morning.

 

[DeskRider]

Snow down to around 2500m on Mt Fuji this morning.

Pic of Fuji this morning stolen from Facebook

 

[Sandy]

I took a somewhat dark shot of Fuji bathed in pink light this morning at around 6:30am.

 

[blutek]

I'm thinking about a mid April return trip, to an empty Niseko.
Is this conclusion accurate (quoted from First Tracks Ski Mag):
" ... Niseko averages less than 10 inches of April snowfall, implying strongly that most spring precipitation is in the form of rain. "

 

[Sandy]

I'm thinking about a mid April return trip, to an empty Niseko.
Is this conclusion accurate (quoted from First Tracks Ski Mag):
" ... Niseko averages less than 10 inches of April snowfall, implying strongly that most spring precipitation is in the form of rain. "

Average maximum for 2012, in Kutchan:
Jan: -3.7
Feb: -2.7
Mar: +2.1
Apr: +9.5

Total Precipitation for Kutchan, 2012:
Jan: 218mm
Feb: 173mm
Mar: 58mm
Apr: 50mm


The average precip in Kutchan in April is about 65mm, and the elevation is 176m.

10" is about 25cm. So at Niseko(elevation about 250m), I'd say more than half the precip would be rain.

 

[blutek]

Thanks Sandy, that seems consistent with the Niseko Now reports (have just looked at them).
Hopefully plenty of for blue sky days then.

 

[Sandy]

Tokyo's max temps for August & September were about 1.5 degrees above average, while October was about average or slightly above.

Overnight in Yokohama it got down to 10.2 and 10.6 degrees in Tokyo. This is about average for November, even though it's only the first day of the month, so things seems to be cooling down nicely.

 

[TJ]

Got down to minus 2 here this morning. Hard to get out of bed.

 

[Sandy]

Got down to minus 2 here this morning. Hard to get out of bed.

However, when it's -8 and snowing, TJ doesn't have any trouble getting out of bed at 5am!!!!!

 

[Mrstr_Chief]

Something in the works

Perhaps another from the 19th...

 

[Sandy]

Yeah, looks ok IMO. Mostly for Hokkaido I think.

After the 19th might be reasonable....

It looks a lot like the weather from the 19th would actually be formed from the wave remnant of hurricane Sandy.





Oh, and these systems pushing in during November seem to be quite early to me!!!!!

 

[TJ]

Got down to minus 2 here this morning. Hard to get out of bed.

However, when it's -8 and snowing, TJ doesn't have any trouble getting out of bed at 5am!!!!!

 

[PMG]

GFS looks interesting for 14th-15th on this afternoon's run.

 

[Sandy]

Yeah, I've been watching those dates, and looks reasonable for good snow in Hokkaido, and a touch in central Japan IMO.

 

[smitty484]

mid winter would see really good snowfall off the back of that low moving NE

 

[Sandy]

Wed 14th Nov still looking the goods IMO. Possibly extending right down into central Japan now...

Also on the horizon is a possible burst around 24th-25th Nov.

 

[DeskRider]

Wed 14th Nov still looking the goods IMO. Possibly extending right down into central Japan now...

Also on the horizon is a possible burst around 24th-25th Nov.

My phone is showing snow for Hakuba Village on the 14th and 15th.. Good to see the snowmen back

 

[TJ]

Yep looking good for snow down low next week. Bring it on I say.

 

[Sandy]

The last few weeks is what I call "early Autumn"....

Temperatures generally in the high teens or just above, and nights around 12-14 in Tokyo.

The next quantum change is just around the the corner, with a top of 22 today, but looks like 15-16 degrees for later in the week, and the first night time temps below 10 for the season.

....So what I call "mid autumn" is coming in!!!!

("Late Autumn" for me, is when the Japanese maples turn red, and is usually around the first week in December, with max temps around 12-14. And "pre autumn" is just after the change from late summer 27-30 degrees, usually about the 2nd/3rd week in Sep, down to 22-25 degrees from around from end Sep to Mid Oct.)

 

[Sandy]

Fuji looking good this morning:

Felt a lot like early winter (like mid December) this morning in Yokohama. Minimum was 7.0 degrees overnight!!!!

 

[Donza]

Hakuba got 60cm

 

[smitty484]

at what elevation?

 

[Donza]

Read about it here

 

[Sandy]

Hakuba town weather station is reporting 8cm up to midnight, and 3cm in the last few hours. (703m elevation)

Temperatures around zero.

 

[smitty484]

Goryu base, thanks to snownavi. WOW, thats quite a fair bit for around 750m asl or so.

 

[Donza]

Its that early season snot snow that Hakuba seems to get a bit.

 

[jontsy]

Freezing temps are predicted to hit sea level in Hokkaido for the first time this season

 

[B_Mitchell]

Doea anyone have any photos of hakuba? I have read that the top of Happo got 1m?

 

[Slaine]

Best I can do, but looks pretty decent, but certainly not a meter just eye balling it.

 

[Slaine]

For comparison:

 

[Nowada]

Not a metre, but that is not the top lift. Another 250+metres of vertical up from the Virgin cafe (the building that you see at the top of the second picture). Cant remember the lift name but its a good ungroomed run down to the cafe

 

[Slaine]

No cam up top tho is there? Best I could find.

 

[Slaine]

Where is this one?

http://www.vill.hakuba.nagano.jp/livecam/livecamera.php?id=6

 

[Sandy]

Where is this one?

http://www.vill.hakuba.nagano.jp/livecam/livecamera.php?id=6

That's looking down from the top of what used to be the Virgin Cafe, towards Kurobishi

 

[Donza]

Looks wet for honshu this weekend IMO...though snow up high...hokkaido looks grand...good bye grass at niseko

 

[smitty484]

I reckon sunday has potential for Honshu, even lower areas of resorts.

 

[Donza]

I agree...well its frikken moist on the coast..

 

[B_Mitchell]

I found a site for reports. Don't know if it has been posted before. But worth a look here is the link.
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/daily/hakuba-now.php

 

[Vermillion]

Hokks will have a good run starting tonight/tomorrow, looks real nice.

 

[Slaine]

Where is this one?

http://www.vill.hakuba.nagano.jp/livecam/livecamera.php?id=6

That's looking down from the top of what used to be the Virgin Cafe, towards Kurobishi

So from the top of this one looking down?

 

[Nowada]

Yep

 

[Sandy]

Looks like there could be a burst around 24th November, and perhaps a stronger one around December 1st IMO.