snowingplaces

City in Yamagata, Japan

Yamagata

Inland city in northern Honshu, near the snow monsters of Mount Zao, with cold, snowy winters.

Forecast updated , when it was 22:00 in Yamagata (GMT+9).

Yamagata snow forecast

Next 24 hours

No snow in the next 24 hours.

A small chance of snow on Saturday.

High confidence, all three forecast models agree

No snow is forecast for Yamagata in the next 7 days, though one weather model shows a little. Expect temperatures from 7 to 12 °C (45 to 54 °F), the freezing level near 2,550 m (8,400 ft) and gusts up to 40 km/h (25 mph) over the next day.

Temperature now
12 °C (54 °F)
Freezing level
2,550 m (8,400 ft)
Wind
3 km/h (2 mph), gusts 5 km/h (3 mph)
Sky now
Overcast, 98% cloud

Yamagata hour by hour

Hourly snowfall

No rain or snow in Yamagata in the next 24 hours.

Yamagata 7-day snow forecast

DayWeatherSnowfall
TonightDry12 °C (54 °F) · freezing level 2,550 m (8,400 ft)No snow
MonCloudy6 to 12 °C (43 to 54 °F) · gusts 40 km/h (25 mph) · freezing level 1,450 m (4,800 ft)No snow
TueCloudy4 to 12 °C (39 to 54 °F) · freezing level 1,700 m (5,600 ft)No snow
WedRain7 to 16 °C (45 to 61 °F) · freezing level 2,450 m (8,000 ft)No snow
ThuRain5 to 11 °C (41 to 52 °F) · gusts 72 km/h (45 mph) · freezing level 1,250 m (4,100 ft)No snow
FriRain3 to 5 °C (37 to 41 °F) · gusts 42 km/h (26 mph) · freezing level 600 m (2,000 ft)No snow
SatChance of snow2 to 4 °C (36 to 39 °F) · freezing level 600 m (2,000 ft)0–2 cm (under 1 in)

Sky is graded over the ski day, 9am to 4pm. Bluebird means at least two of the three models show clear skies all day, none shows overcast, and no snow or rain is forecast. Models are weaker on cloud than on snow, and none of them can see valley fog, so treat it as a good sign rather than a promise.

Yamagata 14-day snow outlook

Days 8 to 14. Only two of our three models run this far ahead, and forecasts at this range often change, so read this as a guide to the pattern rather than a plan.

DayWeatherSnowfall
Sun 22 NovCloudy1 to 6 °C (34 to 43 °F)No snow
Mon 23 NovSunny0 to 10 °C (32 to 50 °F)No snow
Tue 24 NovRain3 to 10 °C (37 to 50 °F)No snow
Wed 25 NovCloudy4 to 11 °C (39 to 52 °F)No snow
Thu 26 NovCloudy4 to 13 °C (39 to 55 °F)No snow
Fri 27 NovRain7 to 12 °C (45 to 54 °F)No snow
Sat 28 NovCloudy5 to 8 °C (41 to 46 °F)No snow

How much snow is there in Yamagata?

No snow on the ground

This is an estimate from weather models, not a measurement, so it can differ from the depth a resort reports on its pistes.

Where is Yamagata?

Prefecture
Yamagata
Country
Japan
Elevation
139 m
Population
247,234

When does it snow in Yamagata?

In Yamagata, snow falls on about 16 days in January in a typical year, the snowiest month. Snow is regular from December to March.

Average days per month with at least 1 cm of snowfall in Yamagata, 2016–2025
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
16 days11 days6 days1 days0 days0 days0 days0 days0 days0 days2 days13 days

Average days each month with at least 1 cm of snowfall, 2016–2025. Calculated from ERA5 reanalysis data.

Snow in Yamagata month by month

Averages for 2016 to 2025, from ERA5 reanalysis data.

Average snow days, share of annual snowfall, temperature and sunny days by month in Yamagata, 2016 to 2025
MonthSnow daysShare of the year's snowLow to high
January1633%−2 to 3 °C (28 to 37 °F)
February1121%−2 to 4 °C (28 to 39 °F)
March613%1 to 10 °C (34 to 50 °F)
April13%6 to 16 °C (43 to 61 °F)
May00%12 to 22 °C (54 to 72 °F)
June00%16 to 25 °C (61 to 77 °F)
July00%21 to 29 °C (70 to 84 °F)
August00%22 to 30 °C (72 to 86 °F)
September00%18 to 25 °C (64 to 77 °F)
October00%11 to 19 °C (52 to 66 °F)
November23%5 to 13 °C (41 to 55 °F)
December1326%0 to 6 °C (32 to 43 °F)

Snow in Yamagata in December

In December, Yamagata gets snow on about 13 days, and the month brings about 26% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from 0 to 6 °C (32 to 43 °F).

Snow in Yamagata in January

In January, Yamagata gets snow on about 16 days, and the month brings about 33% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −2 to 3 °C (28 to 37 °F).

Snow in Yamagata in February

In February, Yamagata gets snow on about 11 days, and the month brings about 21% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −2 to 4 °C (28 to 39 °F).

Snow in Yamagata in March

In March, Yamagata gets snow on about 6 days, and the month brings about 13% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from 1 to 10 °C (34 to 50 °F).

Which winters were snowiest in Yamagata?

Of the last ten winters in Yamagata, 2024/25 was the snowiest, about 23% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2019/20, about 35% below average. The biggest single day of snowfall in the record was 18 January 2016.

Snowfall in Yamagata for each of the last ten winters, as a percentage of the ten-year average
WinterCompared with average
2016/17110% of average
2017/18121% of average
2018/1989% of average
2019/2065% of average
2020/2187% of average
2021/22116% of average
2022/2396% of average
2023/24105% of average
2024/25123% of average
2025/2687% of average

Winters are compared with each other rather than given in centimetres. The ERA5 record is reliable on which winters were big and which were lean, but it underestimates absolute snowfall in the mountains, so the resort's own measured totals are the ones to trust for amounts.

Questions about snow in Yamagata

Does Yamagata have snow at Christmas?

Yamagata had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 20 to 26 December in every one of those years.

Does Yamagata have snow at New Year?

Yamagata had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on New Year's Day in every one of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 27 December to 2 January in every one of those years.

Does Yamagata have snow in mid-February?

Yamagata had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on 15 February in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 10 to 20 February in every one of those years.

Does Yamagata have snow at Easter?

Yamagata had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during Good Friday to Easter Monday in 2 of those years.

How many days a year does it snow in Yamagata?

It snows on about 49 days a year in Yamagata, counting days with at least 1 cm of snowfall, averaged over 2016 to 2025. January has the most, about 16 days.

What is the snowiest month in Yamagata?

January is the snowiest month in Yamagata, bringing about 33% of the year's snowfall, based on ERA5 reanalysis data for 2016 to 2025.

Which recent winter was the snowiest in Yamagata?

Of the last ten winters in Yamagata, 2024/25 was the snowiest, about 23% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2019/20, about 35% below average.

How cold does Yamagata get in winter?

January is the coldest month in Yamagata, with average daily lows of −2 °C (28 °F) and highs of 3 °C (37 °F).

Snow forecasts near Yamagata

Map of ski resorts and cities within 150 km of YamagataNiigata, about 120 km away, 0–4 cm this week.50 km100 km150 kmNNiigata: 0–4 cm this weekNiigataYamagata
Blue dots expect snow in the next 7 days. Distances are straight lines, not driving distances.
NiigataCity, about 120 km away0–4 cm this weekAkitaCity, about 160 km away0–8 cm this weekMoriokaCity, about 170 km awayNo snow this weekNozawa OnsenSki resort, about 220 km away2–30 cm this week

Nearest ski resorts to Yamagata

Sources: Yamagata on Wikidata, Elevation from the Open-Meteo terrain model at the city centre coordinates