Detailed spatial distribution characteristics of snow depth due to the exceptional February 2014 snowfall event associated with the passage of a cyclone along the southern coast of Honshu Island.

The Kanto-Koshin district had an unusual heavy snowfall on 14-15 February 2014 due to a low pressure passing along the southern coast of Honshu Island. High-density observational data from multiple snow-monitoring network and interviews with local people were used to investigate spatial distribution of snow depth in the Kanto-Koshin district. Analysis of the spatial distribution of snow depth showed that the heavy snow area (over than 100 cm depth) extended all over Yamanashi Prefecture and the mountainous area on the border between Yamanashi Prefecture and the western Kanto district The heaviest snow depth area (over 150 cm) occurred locally at the north base of Mount Fuji. Data showed regional differences in the altitudinal dependency of snow depth. In the Kanto region, snow depth uniformly increased with increase of elevation up to about 200 m above sea level (A.S.L.), but altitudinal dependency of snow depth over 300 m A. S. L. was not obvious. In contrast, altitudinal dependency of Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures showed low gradients and high variation. In comparison with past heavy snowfall events, the exceptional snowfall event of February 14-15 was characterized by the distribution of snow cover more than 50 cm even on the western Kanto plain in addition to unusually widespread snowfall centered around Yamanashi Prefecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]