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When you’re sweating it out on a hot, humid day, you can blame the weather. But what if the summer days where you live are hot and humid year after year? Then climate is to blame.
Climate is a term for the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. Take a look at some steamy rain forests near the equator. They get soaked by about 160 inches of rain per year – every year. (That’s more than 13 feet!) But in Las Vegas, Nevada, the average rainfall each year is around four inches. Year after year in Antarctica, temperatures stay low all year round. They average –50°F! However, in Montreal, Canada, the average temperature in January is 16°F. In July, it’s 72°F!
Around the world, climates are very different. So, scientists divide the Earth into climate zones. Places in a given zone have certain things in common, like extremely low temperatures or very high rainfall. However, conditions in one climate zone aren’t exactly the same all over it. Find your climate zone on the map below. (You may need to look at a map that shows countries and states to help you zoom in on where you live.) Does the description match your average weather? What other places in the world are in your climate zone?
Climate touches on many parts of your life. It affects the clothes you buy, the outdoor sports you play, and which plants and animals live near you.
▲ Polar
Winters are very cold here, and summers are a little warmer, but short. This climate area gets a lot of snow but not much rain.
▲ Northern Temperate
Rainfall is moderate, and winters are long and cold with lots of snow.
▲ Temperate
Rainfall here is moderate, with snow falling in the winter. In temperate zones, the summers are warm and the winters are cold.
▲ Mountain
It’s colder here than in nearby lower areas. Snow is common, and the area can be rainy or dry, depending on local conditions.
▲ Coastal
Seasonal and day-to-night temperature changes are smaller than inland.
▲ Tropical
Rainfall here is high, and it is very hot and humid most of the year.
▲ Subtropical
Subtropical zones have high rainfall, with hot and humid summers. The winters are drier and cooler.
▲ Arid
Not much rain falls in this zone. The temperatures change a lot between day and night, as well as between summer and winter seasons.
▲ Semiarid
Rainfall here is low, and temperature changes are moderate. There is not a lot of difference in temperatures between day and night or between summer and winter.
▲ Mediterranean
Here, the summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and wet.
What is a microclimate? It’s a small area that’s unlike the climate zone around it. For example, a desert lies in an arid zone. At a desert oasis, underground water reaches the surface and forms a small lake. This lets trees and other plants grow, even though the surrounding desert may seem lifeless. Water and shade from the trees make this microclimate cooler than the rest of the desert.
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