Numerical simulation of the quasi-stationary snowband observed over the southern coastal area of the Sea of Japan on 16 January 2001

Abstract

On 16 January 2001 during the field experiment named WMO-01, a meso-β-scale snowband extending eastward from Toyama Bay was observed in the coastal area of eastern Hokuriku district, middle part of Japan. This snowband stagnated for about half a day and brought a snowfall of about 50 cm in this region. Numerical simulations of this snowband are performed using a nonhydrostatic cloud resolving model (NHM), with a horizontal grid size of 1 km. The NHM well reproduces many characteristics of the observed snowband. The snowband forms over the convergence zone between a cold southerly land breeze and a northwesterly winter monsoon, to which heat and moisture is supplied from relatively warm sea surface. Convective snow cells with the horizontal scale of a few km successively form at the northern part of the snowband and propagate east-southeastward. Meso-γ-scale convective snow systems are organized, consisting of developed snow cells in the snowband. A cold pool forms under the snowband. The diabatic cooling due to the sublimation of snow is responsible for the formation of the cold pool. After the land breeze became weak, the cold pool contributes to the maintenance of the horizontal convergence with the northwesterly winter monsoon at the northern edge of the snowband by compensating for the weakened land breeze. Therefore, the formation of the cold pool is significant for the maintenance of the snowband. © 2005, Meteorological Society of Japan.