snowingplaces

City in Nagano, Japan

Nagano

Host of the 1998 Winter Olympics and the gateway to Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen.

Nagano snow forecast

Out of season.

Forecasts for Nagano pause outside the snow season and start again in October. The snow record below shows when it usually snows here.

Where is Nagano?

Prefecture
Nagano
Country
Japan
Elevation
368 m
Population
367,184

When does it snow in Nagano?

In Nagano, snow falls on about 11 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 Nagano, 2016–2025
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
11 days9 days5 days<1 days0 days0 days0 days0 days0 days0 days2 days9 days

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

Snow in Nagano month by month

Averages for 2016 to 2025, from ERA5 reanalysis data.

Average snow days, share of annual snowfall and temperature by month in Nagano, 2016 to 2025
MonthSnow daysShare of the year's snowLow to high
January1131%−5 to 5 °C (23 to 41 °F)
February924%−4 to 6 °C (25 to 43 °F)
March515%0 to 11 °C (32 to 52 °F)
April<11%5 to 17 °C (41 to 63 °F)
May00%11 to 22 °C (52 to 72 °F)
June00%16 to 25 °C (61 to 77 °F)
July00%20 to 29 °C (68 to 84 °F)
August00%21 to 31 °C (70 to 88 °F)
September00%18 to 26 °C (64 to 79 °F)
October00%10 to 19 °C (50 to 66 °F)
November23%4 to 14 °C (39 to 57 °F)
December926%−2 to 8 °C (28 to 46 °F)

Snow in Nagano in December

In December, Nagano gets snow on about 9 days, and the month brings about 26% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −2 to 8 °C (28 to 46 °F).

Snow in Nagano in January

In January, Nagano gets snow on about 11 days, and the month brings about 31% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −5 to 5 °C (23 to 41 °F).

Snow in Nagano in February

In February, Nagano gets snow on about 9 days, and the month brings about 24% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −4 to 6 °C (25 to 43 °F).

Snow in Nagano in March

In March, Nagano gets snow on about 5 days, and the month brings about 15% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from 0 to 11 °C (32 to 52 °F).

Which winters were snowiest in Nagano?

Of the last ten winters in Nagano, 2024/25 was the snowiest, about 45% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2020/21, about 35% below average. The biggest single day of snowfall in the record was 29 January 2016.

Snowfall in Nagano for each of the last ten winters, as a percentage of the ten-year average
WinterCompared with average
2016/17124% of average
2017/1883% of average
2018/1980% of average
2019/2077% of average
2020/2165% of average
2021/22116% of average
2022/2386% of average
2023/24129% of average
2024/25145% of average
2025/2693% 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 Nagano

Does Nagano have snow at Christmas?

Nagano had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in 9 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 20 to 26 December in 9 of those years.

Does Nagano have snow at New Year?

Nagano had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on New Year's Day in 9 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 27 December to 2 January in 9 of those years.

Does Nagano have snow in mid-February?

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

Does Nagano have snow at Easter?

Nagano had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday in 7 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during Good Friday to Easter Monday in 1 of those years.

How many days a year does it snow in Nagano?

It snows on about 36 days a year in Nagano, counting days with at least 1 cm of snowfall, averaged over 2016 to 2025. January has the most, about 11 days.

What is the snowiest month in Nagano?

January is the snowiest month in Nagano, bringing about 31% of the year's snowfall, based on ERA5 reanalysis data for 2016 to 2025.

Which recent winter was the snowiest in Nagano?

Of the last ten winters in Nagano, 2024/25 was the snowiest, about 45% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2020/21, about 35% below average.

How cold does Nagano get in winter?

January is the coldest month in Nagano, with average daily lows of −5 °C (23 °F) and highs of 5 °C (41 °F).

Snow forecasts near Nagano

Map of ski resorts and cities within 150 km of NaganoShiga Kogen, about 30 km away, no snow this week; Hakuba Valley, about 30 km away, no snow this week; Nozawa Onsen, about 40 km away, no snow this week; Toyama, about 90 km away, out of season; Kanazawa, about 140 km away, out of season.50 km100 km150 kmNShiga Kogen: No snow this weekHakuba Valley: No snow this weekNozawa Onsen: No snow this weekToyama: Out of seasonKanazawa: Out of seasonHakuba ValleyNozawa OnsenToyamaKanazawaNagano
Blue dots expect snow in the next 7 days. Distances are straight lines, not driving distances.
Shiga KogenSki resort, about 30 km awayNo snow this weekHakuba ValleySki resort, about 30 km awayNo snow this weekNozawa OnsenSki resort, about 40 km awayNo snow this weekToyamaCity, about 90 km awayOut of season

Nearest ski resorts to Nagano

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