Abstract:Based on automatic weather station, dense and routine observation data, this study analyzes the characteristics of snow cover and its meteorological impact factors on a case of Jianghuai cyclone snowstorm that occurred from 21 to 22 February 2017. The results show that the typical spatial structure of Jianghuai cyclone led to the different snowfall amounts and depths in Shandong. The snow cover peaked when the snow ended and its persistence depended on temperature, so snow depth was of timeliness. Commonly, snow depth is affected by multiple meteorological factors of surface, including precipitation type, snowfall amount, snowfall intensity, temperature, soil temperature and wind speed. Sleet can produce snow cover below 1 cm if it turns to pure snow. Average snow to liquid ratio in Shandong is 0.5 cm·mm-1, lower than the value for the whole country. Large snowfall, strong snowfall intensity, low air and soil temperatures are beneficial to snow depth. Enough snow intensity is necessary for obvious snow cover when air and soil temperatures are both higher than 0℃. It’s common that soil temperature drops quickly before visible snow cover and rises stably within 1 to 2 hours. Air temperature is usually below 0℃ when snow cover forms. Weak wind speed under Grade 2 is good for snow cover to form.