Rusutsu Resort Snow Report
Rusutsu Resort averages 804 cm of snowfall per season, with a historical average peak snow depth of 126 cm, The typical season runs from Nov 11 – Mar 14, averaging 9 powder days per season.
Weather Data Source
Snow depth and temperature data from the nearest JMA AMeDAS station.
Quickly judge whether this resort fits your trip. See how snowy it gets on average, how long the season runs, and whether powder days are rare or common here.
7-Day Forecast
Decide if this week is worth a trip. Check the snowfall column first: fresh snow in the next day or two is the clearest sign of good conditions.
Powder Days
Find the month most likely to deliver powder. Higher numbers mean better odds. Compare months to pick your best window, then adjust the thresholds to match your own powder standard.
| 2025-26 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | 2016-17 | 2015-16 | 2014-15 | 2013-14 | 2012-13 | 2011-12 | 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 | 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | 2001-02 | 2000-01 | 1999-00 | Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0.4 |
| Dec | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | 3.2 |
| Jan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.7 |
| Apr | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Snowfall Consistency
Avoid booking during historically dry spells. Scan the grid to spot weeks that tend to go without snow, then plan your trip around the more reliable windows.
Powder Quality
Know whether the snow here is worth chasing. Colder Hokkaido resorts produce lighter, drier powder that floats and turns differently than the wet, heavy snow found further south.
Colder snowfall temperatures produce larger ice crystals with more trapped air — lighter, drier powder.
Rain Risk
Avoid months when rain is likely to strip the snowpack. Even one warm rain event can destroy days of accumulated powder, so knowing the risk by month helps you book smarter.
Percentage of precipitation days where rain falls instead of snow. Warm rain events (>5mm rain, temp >0°C) can destroy the snowpack.
Snow & Weather
Track whether this season is shaping up above or below average. Browse past seasons to spot trends, useful for timing a last-minute trip or understanding a resort's range.
Snow Depth
Source: JMA AMeDAS
Daily Snowfall
Source: JMA AMeDAS
Temperature
Source: ERA5 reanalysis at 697m (resort level)
Wind Speed
Source: JMA AMeDAS
Snow by ENSO Phase
El Niño and La Niña cycles shift global weather patterns and noticeably affect snowfall in Hokkaido. La Niña winters tend to be colder and snowier; El Niño winters tend to be warmer and drier. The averages below are based on historical seasons at this resort.
Source: NOAA CPC ONI
Powder Reliability Leaderboard
The score tells you how reliably this resort delivers powder, not just in a great season but across many seasons. It combines four factors measured from historical data: how often powder days actually happen, how consistently the snowpack builds and holds depth, how dry and light the snow tends to be, and how often wind ruins powder days. A high score means your chances of hitting good snow are strong across a typical trip, not only during lucky windows.
How scores are calculated
avg powder days per season with ≥ 20 cm new snowfall, normalised to a ceiling of 20 days/season. Ceiling chosen empirically from top Hokkaido resort data.
fraction of seasons with ≥ 30 cm snow depth for ≥ 83 days (proportionally scaled from Witmer 1986 / Abegg 1996's 100-day rule to our 151-day season window, preserving the original ~55% coverage standard across all resort types).
fraction of snowfall days where ERA5 daily mean temperature ≤ −5°C at resort elevation, used as a proxy for high snow-to-liquid ratio / dry powder (Kuchera & Ely 2004). ERA5 temperature is lapse-rate corrected to each resort's mid-point elevation for comparability. Full vertical profiles are not available; surface temperature is an approximation.
fraction of powder days (≥ 20 cm) with calm ERA5 wind (< 25 km/h) at resort grid point. Temperature excluded to avoid double-counting with Snow Quality. If no powder days are observed, this score is omitted and remaining weights are renormalised.