Abstract: The AMIP simulation results of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model (CAS ESM2) were compared with various observational datasets, and the performance of CAS ESM2 simulated snow conditions over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was evaluated. The model successfully reproduced the spatial distribution of the Plateau snow cover in winter and spring, such as the abundant snow cover in the eastern and western parts of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and sparse snow cover in the hinterland, but it overestimated the snow cover over the Plateau in relation to the negative temperature and positive precipitation biases compared with observations. The model successfully simulated the seasonal cycle of snow conditions over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, especially the snow cover fraction. However, simulated snow melting over the Plateau occurred later than that observed because the simulated temperature was lower than the overall observations. The snow depth on the eastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau has shown a general decreasing trend in winter and spring, with below-normal snow after 2000, which was successfully reproduced by CAS ESM2. For the inter-annual variations of snow depth on the eastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the model simulation skill was better in spring than in winter. A diagnostic analysis showed that the Plateau snow cover was closely related to precipitation and near-surface air temperature (TAS) in winter and primarily related to TAS in spring. The model performed better on TAS than precipitation, which may have led to its superior snow depth simulation in spring than in winter to a certain extent. Further investigations of inter-annual variations revealed that snow cover on the eastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in winter was closely correlated with the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and geopotential height near the Plateau, while snow cover in spring was mainly impacted by the geopotential height near the Plateau. The model simulation skill for winter AO and geopotential height near the Plateau was not ideal, but it was statistically significant for the geopotential height near the Plateau in spring, which may have resulted in the superior snow depth skill in spring compared to winter.