Influences of orography and coastal geometry on a transverse-mode sea-effect snowstorm over Hokkaido Island, Japan

Abstract

Sea-effect snowstorms generated over the Sea of Japan produce consistent and often heavy snowfall throughout the winter season, impacting downstream communities in northern and central Japan. Here, we use observations and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model simulations to examine the precipitation distribution produced by transverse-mode sea-effect snowbands that interacted with the mountainous terrain circumscribing Ishikari Bay, Hokkaido Island, Japan, on 12 January 2014. The bands observed here were horizontal convective rolls aligned normal to the mean flow and were ~10 km wide and up to ~100 km long. The bands approached Ishikari Bay at intervals of ~10-16 min, intensifying as they progressed through a quasi-stationary, elongated enhancement region that paralleled the Shakotan Peninsula and extended into the Ishikari plain. Hydrometeor advection, through an ascent region over the northeast slope of the Shakotan Peninsula, and along clockwise-turning trajectories steered by the boundary layer directional shear, contributed to sustained precipitation enhancement along a curve in the elongated enhancement region near the entrance to Ishikari Bay. Downstream, orographic flow deflection by the coastal mountains, likely accentuated by thermal and roughness gradients along the Shakotan Peninsula's shoreline, produced convergence and ascent along the elongated enhancement region. This study demonstrates the impact of downstream topography on sea-effect snowstorms and has implications for improving the prediction of snowfall in this and other lake- and sea-effect regions.