Weather and Climate
Wind Changes
Wind changes that occur during different seasons greatly affect the climate. In the winter months, the high pressure areas of Siberia move cold air south, making the temperature drop significantly. As the cold winds from Siberia travel south over the Sea of Japan, they collide with warm and moist air.
Temperature
Precipitation
Climate
The climate of Japan ranges from subtropical to temperate and is comparable to the weather on the east coast of the United States. These climates help create ideal conditions for a diverse amount of trees and vegetation to grow.
Seasons
The most pleasant weather occurs in the spring and fall when the wind changes.
"Plum Rains"
Long periods of rainy weather are common during the early summer months due to colliding air masses. Cold masses of air from the north collide with warm masses of air from the South Pacific create tsuyu, or when translated means “plum rains”. These ample plum rains are significant to the growing crops of rice in Japan.
Heavy Snowfall
Japan experiences one the heaviest annual snowfalls in the world due to seasonal wind changes.
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Typhoons
Severe weather systems called typhoons affect parts of Japan during the end of summer and in the early fall. Typhoons are tropical cyclones that are formed over the warm Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Typhoons have the potential to cause a vast amount of damage to the country. The winds associated with these storms are very strong and reach speeds up to130 miles per hour. Typhoons also create intense rainfall that can cause floods and destroy crops.
The 2011Typhoon Season
Tsunamis
When earthquakes occur along the ocean floor, they create enormous tidal waves called tsunamis that threaten the coastal regions of Japan. Tsunamis in Japan are just as devastating as the earthquakes that caused them because every major city is located near the sea due the importance of ships and fishing.
Footage of the devastating tsunami of 2011
Satellite Images of Before and After the 2011 Tsunami
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