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| Honshu circled in red (IS 1) |
According to the Koeppen Scale, the southern tip of Honshu can be classified as a "C" climate (Mild Midlatitude). The northern portion falls under the "D" category (Midlatitude Climate) (1). Further classification with the Koeppen Scale defines defines the south as a Cfa-a wet humid subtropical, the north as a Dfa-humid continental with hot summers. Both of these climate classifications are marked by hot summers and no dry season. Northern Honshu typically experiences severe, snowy winters (1).
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| Classification of Honshu's varying climates (IS 2) |
When summer approaches, a mass of cold air begins to form off the north coast of Japan, while over the Pacific Ocean, a warm air mass forms. These two air masses begin to converge over Central Japan. The low pressure cold air pushes the warm air up, causing a low pressure, warm air storm the Japanese call the baiu zensen, or "rainy season front" (2).
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| Depicting the basics of the rainy season (IS 3) |
The rainy season ends by the end of July, but the typhoon season begins at the end of summer into September, depending on conditions. Much like hurricanes, typhoons "...originate from large masses of tropical low pressure air in the North Pacific..."(3) They start out as tropical thunderstorms over the Pacific Ocean. These storms then come together and begin to extract heat from the warm Pacific waters (see picture 3). This heat causes evaporation and forces the warm air to be drawn to the center (or eye) of the storm in a cyclonic pattern. It soon seeks out more warm waters to continue powering it (4).
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| Typhoon nearing Japan 8/26/2012 (Honshu located in 1st and 2nd grid rows to the right) (IS 4) |
About 4 out 30 typhoons make landfall with Japan, bringing heavy rain and destruction.
Image Sources
IS 1. http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/EarthTempClim/climatezones.jpg (Editing by Evan Ramirez)
IS 2. http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/EarthTempClim/img083.gif (Editing by Evan Ramirez)
IS 3. http://home.comcast.net/~rhaberlin/pwpptnts.htm
IS 4. http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/watching-typhoon-pair-near-tai/70871
Sources
1. http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/EarthTempClim/KoeppenGeneral.jpg
2. http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/essential/climate.html
3. http://web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/e01_geography.pdf
4. http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Cyclones/FrontsCyclones.html
