FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? Winter in Hokkaido. Except for some areas of inland Hokkaido, annual snowfall volume is expected to decrease (Fig. The Tokyo area experienced a heat wave over the last two weeks, but with temperatures coming down as we progress deeper into the latter half of September, its out time for even the most die-hard sun worshipers to accept that autumn is here. DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Here, I make a translation of that section (all errors in translation are my own Im not affiliated with the Japan Meteorological Agency). Source: Japan Meteorological Agency Raw Data kindly provided on paper by the Sapporo Office. During [global] warming, the frequency of snowfall will decrease due to increases in air temperature, and we will see a trend towards decreasing snowfall. Come discover the best powder in Japan with Hokkaido's premier snowsports team. Sorry if I have made a simple mistake. The 2019/2020 winter in Hokkaido had some of the lowest snowfall and snowpack in recorded history. Hokkaido WildsCCBY-SA 4.0(guide)| Site Map. The almost guaranteed powder snow and fantastic views of Mt. You can jump to a separate table for each section of the country: Hokkaid, Thoku, Kant, Chbu, Kansai, Chgoku Shikoku, Kysh and Okinawa. This was published in March 2017, with a subtitle that reads. This article contains many pictures that will help you imagine March weather in Hokkaido, so please refer to them. Snowpack can also decrease from week to week, if theres no new snow, due to compression and melting. Here Ive only included Sapporo, Kutchan (near Niseko) and Furano. We hired a car and drove around the Island in Winter! Living in a snowy place is tough, but can be gorgeous too! REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in. You can get by perfectly fine in just a t-shirt, as most of the time, a lot of sunlight can be expected during the day. Ive pulled 40-60 years of daily data about snowpack and snowfall from eight weather stations around Hokkaido. Those higher-altitude weather stations are Nukabira Onsen ( altitude 540m), Sounkyo (540m), Shirataki (475m), and Akanko Onsen (450m). Your email address will not be published. Thanks a lot for the great work Dana. Source: Japan Meteorological Agency Raw Data (https://www.data.jma.go.jp/gmd/risk/obsdl/index.php). Overall, the 2019/2020 season saw comparatively low levels of snow compared to other years. SHORT STORY: In 80 years time, central Hokkaido areas around the Daisetsu Range, including Asahi-dake, are predicted to have an increase in snowfall (around an extra 60-100cm), whereas almost everywhere else in Hokkaido will see a decrease (between 30cm and 60cm). Original Japanese overview webpage:https://www.jma-net.go.jp/sapporo/tenki/kikou/kikohenka/kikohenka.html, 2.3 Outlook for Snow Accumulation and Snowfall. However, at ski resorts such as Niseko, you can continue to enjoy a world of snow. I am having some difficulty rectifying the first page and the second page (after following JMA climate change forecast link), you have tables on both and when looking at the Kutchan and Furano data the first has an upward trend and the second has a strong downward trend but as I read it they should be telling me the same story?? This year (2018) we saw some of the latest first-snowfalls of the season in recorded history in Hokkaido (northern-most island of Japan). BEST MONTH(S): Time of year a route is suited to visiting. Sidewalks will be piled high with snow as it gets cleared every morning. By late March, there will be more rain than snow. You can find these numbers and more on the Snowfall Weve got affiliate links on HokkaidoWilds.org to help fund the Hokkaido Wilds foundation. i am noticing an annual increase in temperature this will have an impact on snow bases and ultimately falls when the average is above 0. The other locations definitely. Overall, I think the data shows well that the 2019/2020 winter season was certainly a low year. the past 120 years and predictions for the future (120). Heres the Kutchan snowfall totals per month for February: Heres the Kutchan deepest snowpack depth recorded in February across the years. I called the Sapporo Branch of the JMA to ask why this was the case, and they said that it may have been human error in recording the snowfall data. Am I correct in assuming that there is also no correlation between the date of hatsuyuki and snowfall amounts for the season? Im impressed with the level of accuracy and consistency of data available as well as how far back it goes. If thats the case, then the downward trend we see on the interactive figure on this page for Kutchan may not be entirely accuratesigh. In theory, if total snowfall is decreasing, so too should snowpack depth? Ive pulled 40-60 years of daily data about snowpack and snowfall from eight weather stations around Hokkaido. According tothe Japan Meteorological Agencys 80-year predictions, compared with now, higher altitude areas in Hokkaido particularly in central Hokkaido will see increases in snow volume by the turn of the century. DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Seems like after the turn of the millennium the snowfalls have just plummeted. In particular we predict large changes during February and March months on the Honshu Japan Sea coast (abbrev. MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. Ill start with the more weather station data from the more well-known areas all of which are quite low altitude. This is an event that can only be held in The Foundation gets a small commission on sales from affiliate links, but we only link to stuff we think is worth checking out for people keen on the outdoors in Hokkaido and Japan. Interestingly, while there seems to be no statistically significant change in snowpack depth in these higher locales, three out of the four do show a statistically significant downward trend in snowfall totals. Hokkaido is one of the most popular snow holiday destinations in the world, attracting skiers and snowboarders from all around the world. Niseko, Furano and Rusutsu are three most popular ski resorts in Hokkaido. I plotted that data, and sure enough, theres no relationship: https://hokkaidowilds.org/hokkaido-snow-statistics#first-total-snowfall-correlation-sapporo. Rainfall will also increase. Historically averaging close to 15m in the town, now more like 10m (though all of the tourism websites will still state 15m), and dropping. Required fields are marked *. Great for long ski touring days. In those days it was all done manually by a person. The total cumulative annual snowfalls in Kutchan are particularly worrying. On Hokkaidos Sea of Japan coast, theres a lot of snow. In fact, looking at the 3-month totals for 1980, the data is telling me that 1014cm of snow fell between Dec 1st 1979 and Feb 29th 1980, and yet the deepest the snowpack was recorded at was 168cm for the same period. The children living in Hokkaido love to play in the snow! The above figures give a visual taste for how 2020 compares with other years. Japan Meteorological Agency, 2013). Once again, I start with the weekly maximum recorded snowpack depth. The Grasshoppers musings on MountainWatch here, https://www.jma-net.go.jp/sapporo/tenki/kikou/kikohenka/kikohenka.html, https://www.data.jma.go.jp/gmd/risk/obsdl/index.php, https://cdn-images.hokkaidowilds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/kutchan-feb-snowfall-sum.png, https://cdn-images.hokkaidowilds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/kutchan-feb-snowpack-depth.png, https://hokkaidowilds.org/hokkaido-snow-statistics#first-total-snowfall-correlation-sapporo. Some are in between. In your estimation, can we expect to have some accumulation? , Thanks for the great article and research. This means that this data doesnt indicate any general downwards trend in maximum snowpack depth at this point. Heres snowpack depth data for the four low-lying areas. We were traveling through Hokkaido prefecture, Japan during our winter vacation 2019-2020. Monthly total snowfall for the four higher-altitude locations are certainly at the lower end of historical records. Niseko, a spectacular snow resort town in Hokkaido, is probably the most visited ski resort by foreign travellers and is very English friendly. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions. ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to. Below, the figures show the cumulative total snowfall each month of each year theres data for. I need to step it up with my plans of slashing pow in Japow. especially when just focusing in on Jan and Feb months which I am interested more in. The main takeaway from that postwas that while the start to the 2019/2020 season wasnt the slowest on record, it was definitely a slow start. Due to their low altitude, they are much more susceptible to melt-freeze cycles on a warmer winter year. MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. No special equipment is needed; you can immediately start sledding or having snowball fights even at neighborhood parks on school routes. It said 7 minutes reading time and here I am an hour and a half later. However, they dont give insight into trends. I tell you a truth here. Greetings and thanks for the information. SUMMARY: Predicted changes in Hokkaido snow depth and volume. More details here. Sounkyo looks like a fairly average sort of a year. The snow accumulation statistics on the other post are the deepest recorded snowpack depth for a particular month. The days are short (only four hours of sunshine a day), and temperatures range from -7 to So much snow falls here, and with such consistency, that even if the season gets off to a slow start, great accessible backcountry skiing lingers long into April and even May. Numerical simulations using SNOWPACK, a snow-cover model, were carried out to confirm the models applicability to conditions in Hokkaido, Japan, where temperatures are fairly low and for 3 months the snow surface is usually dry except during occasional periods of rain or above-freezing temperatures. both those "mountains" are really hills, in the south of Hokkaido and near the sea. SHORT STORY: In 80 years time, central Hokkaido areas around the Daisetsu Range, including Asahi-dake, are predicted to have an increase in snowfall (around an extra 60-100cm), whereas almost everywhere else in Hokkaido will see a decrease (between 30cm and 60cm). Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. 2.3.2-3). For Kutchan and Horokanai, however two of Hokkaidos deepest and coldest areas the answer is yes. The Hokkaido Wilds Foundation is a fund where 100% of funds are donated to Hokkaido volunteer groups involved in sustainable, safe, and responsible access to the Hokkaido outdoors. Is it OK to backcountry ski in national parks in Hokkaido? The main resorts are While the maximum snow accumulation levels of some inland areas of Hokkaido are expected to increase, overall we predict a decrease, with no large differences in those decreases across regions (Fig. the Sapporo Branch of the Japan Meteorological Agencys, report on Hokkaido regional climate change, titled, . Find the best snow conditions in Hokkaido for skiing and snowboarding. All of them are not at all close to popular ski resorts. Overall, the snowpack was among some of the lowest on record but not the lowest ever. Fall. I have arranged to fly us out from 26 Nov-2 Dec 2019. Although a day trip from Sapporo is possible, Niseko is best enjoyed over a few days. Plan your next Hokkaido powder day or ski vacation with our snow report, 5-Day Hourly weather, 10-day snow forecast, cams, and snowfall history. LONGER STORY: Below are predicted changes in Hokkaido snow depth and snowfall, translated fromthe Sapporo Branch of the Japan Meteorological Agencysreport on Hokkaido regional climate change, titledHokkaido Climate Change (Second Edition)report (). congrats again on the new website. Is there less snow falling from the sky over the years? Yotei make this a very popular destination. So here, I introduce some summaries from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA, ) and visualize some raw data. The yearly snowfall in Sapporo totals six meters, so people are very used to snow. Hokkaidos winter season is incredibly exciting, particularly if you love world Is there any good sledding areas or places to observe? SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location just click on the crosshairs (). 2.3.2-1, Fig. I produced the graph using raw values converted from a table received on paper from the Japan Meteorological Agency in Sapporo. A happyHarerun (). You may need to give permission to HokkaidoWilds.org to know your GPS location (dont worry, we wont track you). This was published in March 2017, with a subtitle that readsthe past 120 years and predictions for the future (120). Thanks Dragos. Hokkaido WildsCCBY-SA 4.0(guide)| Site Map. Full details here. This is in stark contrast to places like Kutchan and Horokanai, in the low-lying locales outlined in the section above. October the 8th, for instance the first snowfall has only occurred once on that date. By the end of the 21st Century, it is expected that some interior Hokkaido regions will see an increase in snowfall volume (see Section 2.3.2). With more than one blue-sky day per month even! The quality of powder snow in Hokkaido is highly regarded, and numbers of scenic ski slopes are located the majestic mountains in Hokkaido. Great for long ski touring days. Yes, the Japan Meteorological Agency is impressive with their data! Using the Japan Meteorological Agencysdata download service, Ive downloaded all of the available daily snowfall and snowpack depth data for four low-lying locations and four higher-up locations in Hokkaido. Daylight hours in winter in Hokkaido are longer, and theres more sunshine. Hokkaido is the coldest and most northerly Japanese island and arguably gets the most consistent snow. Here are the total snowfall numbers over the last nine seasons: 2020/2021 season: 1201cm 2019/2020 season: 728cm 2018/2019 season: 951cm 2017/2018 season: 1260cm 2016/2017 season: 688cm 2015/2016 season: 992cm 2014/2015 season: 1144cm 2013/2014 season: 1163cm 2012/2013 season: 1493cm All of those numbers are from close to Niseko Hirafu base, observed by me. Ive also chosen the four highest-altitude weather stations the meteorological agency publishes data for in Hokkaido. the Japan Meteorological Agencys 80-year predictions, the Japan Meteorological Agencys (JMA) 80-year climate predictions, Where to Buy Backcounty Skiing and Winter Outdoor Gear in Hokkaido, Adventure Photography: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Camera Long Term Review. On the Pacific Ocean side, theres less snowfall compared to the Sea of Japan side. Resources for Exploring the Hokkaido Outdoors, A Primer in NPOs, Incorporated Associations, and Voluntary Associations in Japan. If you dont visit a ski resort or dont try some Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook . 26-27). We are an international team of seasoned professionals offering ski and snowboard lessons & guiding In January this year, I posted an early-season review of the start of the 2019/2020 snow season here in Hokkaido. The first three are in central Hokkaido. The unique climate conditions of the Hokkaido Power Belt offer an unmatched quality of dry powder snow for all levels. Here, Ive visualized the maximum snowpack depth recorded during any given week (the base data is daily). While some areas suggest no historical downward trend in snowfall and/or snowpack depth, some do. (Temperatures here can drop to -20C and below.) Hi/Low, RealFeel, precip, radar, & everything you need to be ready for the day, commute, and weekend! Yes, of course they have a mascot. Low-lying locales in red, higher-up locales in blue. Theres an important caveat though: some average snowfall datapoints are not very reliable, because theyre based on just one years snowfall data. Or, type in a destination, such asNiseko orSapporo orAsahikawa etc. Some are in between. Japan, as a whole, is renowned for its relationship to the natural landscape, and the fall months Pingback: Why Japan? The Japan Meteorological Agency expects some areas of inland Hokkaido and Honshu to see an increase in snowfall volume, whereas in other areas they expect a decrease (abbrev. LONGER ANSWER: Youd be forgiven to think that if the snow is late in any particular year, then wed get less snow over the course of the season. There is a statistically significant downward trend in snowfall volume. The first half of February is some of the coldest weather youll experience in Hokkaido. The Snow Academy is a very comprehensive skiing school with various levels of ski and snowboarding lessons catered for different needs. For example, the deepest recorded snowpack depth in Kutchan in the month of February 1980 was 168cm, despite a whopping total of 438cm of snow falling that year in February. If youd like to see more centers added, please let me know. Otaru is a harbour city about 30 km away from Sapporo City, and Snow falls in Hokkaido before Tokyo even needs to get out its fall fashions.. Thanks Dana! I don't think you'll see snow there. At the same time, even during times of warming, in regions where temperatures are cold enough, an increase in precipitation can be expected, resulting in higher snowfall volume. SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location just click on the crosshairs (). of Datapoints filter to filter out that data that only has one years worth of snowfall data. The low-lying locations chosen for their proximity to well-known good backcountry skiing are Sapporo City (altitude 17m), Kutchan (176m) near the well-known Niseko ski resort area, Furano City (174m) and one of our favourite ski touring locales of all time, Horokanai (159m). It offered many skiing routes, many eateries, open air bath, indoor pool and many activities you and the kids could join. Or, type in a destination, such asNiseko orSapporo orAsahikawa etc. This measure will always be lower than the total snowfall, because it doesnt take much for new snowfall to compress older snowfall. Kiroro ski resort is located in a mountain valley that sits about two hours from Chitose REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in. At the bottom of the figure below, you can choose from the four low-lying locations to get a feel of historical trends in snowpack depth. OK, so the 2019/2020 season snowfall was quite low. That is, some first snowfall dates have only occurred once during the time period available (1952-2017). More details here. Each place has a total for the amount of snow it normally gets and for the number of days with snow on the ground. Hokkaido, Japans northern-most island, is famous for a variety of things, particularly melons, bears, being really snowy.For many people, just hearing the word Hokkaido will instantly transport their thoughts to some sort of winter wonderland.. The tables below give yearly averages for snowfall at cities and towns in Japan. The Foundation gets a small commission on sales from affiliate links, but we only link to stuff we think is worth checking out for people keen on the outdoors in Hokkaido and Japan. Hokkaido Japan Winter ExploringWe traveled to Hokkaido on our recent trip to Japan. In this post, we do a stock-take on official snowfall and snowpack data for four low-lying and four higher-up towns near some of the best backcountry skiing locales in Hokkaido. But is there any trend regarding snowfall volume? Picture courtesy of Chuo Bus Kanko Shoji 2.3.1-2). Are we seeing shallower snowpack? While this year COVID-19 scuppered many of our plans for big long spring days, we were certainly not for want of more snow. Learn how your comment data is processed. Now lets move on to snowfall. ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to. Central Hokkaido and the Taisetsu Mountain region will see the largest snowfalls and Eastern Hokkaido will see the coldest temperatures. So Im not sure what is going on there. The other locations definitely got off to a late start. The figure below shows the relationship betweendate of first snowfall andtotal snowfall for a given year. 2.3.2-2). Japans snowiest city with a population over a million is Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, which checks in at 235 inches a year. Kiroro Resort. FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? That said, in most of those eight locales, while the season undeniably got off to a slow start this year, by late February Hokkaido was back on form. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, Japan. Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. That reading time plug-in needs work, methinks! Things generally picked up after that though, and we ended up having one of the most well-rounded seasons many of us could remember good snow and more blue-sky touring days than we could remember. I checked and double-checked the data, and it is what it is. Here, I make a translation of that section (all errors in translation are my own Im not affiliated with the Japan Meteorological Agency). Therefore, use the No. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions. Note: 2019/2020 season is shown in dark red, 2015-2019 seasons in light orange, pre-2015 in shades of blue. Many powder hunters flock to the northern island of Hokkaido in search of often spectacular deep powder, off-piste and tree runs. Each day, the depth of the snowpack is measured in an undisturbed location at weather stations. Below are the dates of first recorded snow in Sapporo City for the last 140 years from 1877 till 2017. Sounkyo looks like a fairly average sort of a year. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Therefore,at best this data should be considered as only marginally representative of the snowfall surrounding mountain areas may have received. Some pop all season, some are more limited. As a snow lover, I thought I would wallow in my mourning by exploring some data and trends about Hokkaido snowfall. Nowadays its all automated, they said. The underlying data is daily, so each days snowfall is added up to get the sum total monthly snowfall. Maximum snow accumulation levels are predicted to decrease across Japan [comparing the end of the 20th Century to predicted levels at the end of the 21st Century], except for some regions of inland Hokkaido. February is the best time to visit Hokkaido. I included these to get a feel for how higher altitude locations might have fared in this low-tide 2019/2020 Hokkaido snow season. The first snow fell in the center the other day - at the very very top. Using the LOCATION filter on the figure below, we can see that in these higher altitude locations, theres no statistically significant change in snowpack depth over the last 30 years or so. Theres no discernible relationship. Whereas decreases are expected in the beginning (November) and end (March to April) of the annual snowfall season, the decrease during the peak of the season (January) is not clear (Fig. thank you for the info. For starters beginners or intermediate skiers will find Kitanomine slopes good for practice t Niseko Annupri International Ski Area: A Spacious Resort. Weve got affiliate links on HokkaidoWilds.org to help fund the Hokkaido Wilds foundation. Owing to an almost constant wallop of Arctic weather from Siberia, Hokkaidos capital is one of the most reliably snowy cities on the planet.
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