Figure 1 Location of Takamatsu City and Kochi City
Figure 2 Seasonal variation of meteorological elements in Takamatsu City The green, red and blue lines indicate monthly averages of daily mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, respectively. The blue and brown bars show monthly precipitation amounts and monthly sunshine durations, respectively.
Figure 3 Same as Figure 2 but for Kochi City Winter (December-January-February)
Figure 4 Weather chart for 00UTC on 10 December 2012 In winter (December-January-February), the Siberian High develops over the Eurasian Continent and the Aleutian Low develops over the northern North Pacific. Prevailing northwesterly winds cause the advection of cold air from Siberia to Shikoku, bringing sunny conditions to the area. However, cold air sometimes flows through the narrow Kanmon Strait between Honshu and Kyushu, bringing heavy snowfall to the Shikoku Mountains. Spring (March-April-May)
Figure 5 Weather chart for 00UTC on 3 April 2012 In spring (March-April-May), migratory cyclones and anticyclones that alternately move eastward prevail across Japan. Temperature increases (decreases) in front (back) of cyclonic systems due to warm southerly (cold northerly) flow. Temperature in Shikoku rises gradually with large short-term variations. Kosa (Aeolian dust transported from deserts or semi-arid areas of the Asian continent by westerly winds, resulting in yellow skies and haze) is sometimes observed over Shikoku. The sunshine duration is long in the second half of spring due to the predominance of anticyclonic systems. Summer (June-July-August)
Figure 6 Weather chart for 00UTC on 6 August 2009 The period from early June to the middle of July is the rainy season (known as the Baiu). Its precipitation is caused by a stationary front, called the Baiu front, which forms where a warm maritime tropical air mass meets a cool polar maritime air mass. In the second half of summer, the North Pacific High extends northwestward around Japan, bringing very hot, humid, and sunny conditions, sometimes accompanied by temperatures of 35°C or above, to Shikoku. Southerly warm and moist winds around the western edge of the North Pacific High sometimes cause heavy rainfall in the southern part of Shikoku, while monthly precipitation amounts for August are small in the northern part (around the Seto Inland Sea). Autumn (September-October-November)
Figure 7 Weather chart for 00UTC on 7 October 2009 In autumn (September-October-November), temperatures in Shikoku fall gradually. The autumnal rain front and tropical cyclones affect the autumn weather of Shikoku. The southern part of Shikoku has one of Japan's highest rainfall totals. In October, the frequent passage of anticyclonic systems brings sunny conditions and refreshing air to Shikoku. |
