City in Yamagata, Japan
Yamagata
Inland city in northern Honshu, near the snow monsters of Mount Zao, with cold, snowy winters.
Yamagata snow forecast
Out of season.
Forecasts for Yamagata pause outside the snow season and start again in October. The snow record below shows when it usually snows here.
Where is Yamagata?
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.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 days | 11 days | 6 days | 1 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 2 days | 13 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.
| Month | Snow days | Share of the year's snow | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16 | 33% | −2 to 3 °C (28 to 37 °F) |
| February | 11 | 21% | −2 to 4 °C (28 to 39 °F) |
| March | 6 | 13% | 1 to 10 °C (34 to 50 °F) |
| April | 1 | 3% | 6 to 16 °C (43 to 61 °F) |
| May | 0 | 0% | 12 to 22 °C (54 to 72 °F) |
| June | 0 | 0% | 16 to 25 °C (61 to 77 °F) |
| July | 0 | 0% | 21 to 29 °C (70 to 84 °F) |
| August | 0 | 0% | 22 to 30 °C (72 to 86 °F) |
| September | 0 | 0% | 18 to 25 °C (64 to 77 °F) |
| October | 0 | 0% | 11 to 19 °C (52 to 66 °F) |
| November | 2 | 3% | 5 to 13 °C (41 to 55 °F) |
| December | 13 | 26% | 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.
| Winter | Compared with average | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | 110% of average | |
| 2017/18 | 121% of average | |
| 2018/19 | 89% of average | |
| 2019/20 | 65% of average | |
| 2020/21 | 87% of average | |
| 2021/22 | 116% of average | |
| 2022/23 | 96% of average | |
| 2023/24 | 105% of average | |
| 2024/25 | 123% of average | |
| 2025/26 | 87% 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
Nearest ski resorts to Yamagata
Sources: Yamagata on Wikidata, Elevation from the Open-Meteo terrain model at the city centre coordinates