Weather You Knew or Not!
CLASSIFYING CLIMATE
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WEATHER
Minute by minute
 Local scale
 Variable
 Determines dress code
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CLIMATE
Average weather conditions
 Determined by long-term pattern of
temperature and precipitation averages and
extremes at a location
 Can refer to local, regional, or global areas
 Can be described in decades, years, seasons,
months, or specific dates of the year
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CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
Equatorial (A)
 Arid (B)
 Warm Temperate (C)
 Snow (D)
 Polar (E)
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 1: LOW-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Tropical Moist Climates (Af) rainforest
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Controlled by equatorial topical air masses
Average temperature: 18 °C (°F)
Annual Precipitation: 262 cm. (103 in.)
Latitude Range: 10° S to 25 ° N
Global Position: Amazon Basin; Congo Basin of equatorial Africa; East Indies,
from Sumatra to New Guinea.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 1: LOW-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Wet-Dry Tropical Climates (Aw) Savanna
• Temperature Range: 16°C
• Annual Precipitation: summer wet (3 months), winter dry, usually less than 300 mm
per year
• Latitude Range: 15° to 25° N and S
• Global Range: India, Indochina, West Africa, southern Africa, South America and the
north coast of Australia .
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 1: LOW-LATITUDE CLIMATES
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Dry Tropical Climate (Bw) desert biome
Temperature Range: 16° C
Annual Precipitation: 0.25 cm (0.1 in). All months less than 0.25 cm (0.1 in).
Latitude Range: 15°- 25° N and S.
Global Range: southwestern United States and northern Mexico; Argentina; north
Africa; south Africa; central part of Australia.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 2: MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
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Dry Midlatitude Climates (BS) steppe
Temperature Range: 24° C (43° F).
Annual Precipitation: less than 10 cm (4 in) in the driest regions to 50 cm (20 in)
in the moister steppes.
Latitude Range: 35° - 55° N.
Global Range: Western North America (Great Basin, Columbia Plateau, Great
Plains); Eurasian interior, from steppes of eastern Europe to the Gobi Desert and
North China.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 2: MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
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Mediterranean Climate (Cs) chaparral biome
Temperature Range: 7 °C (12 °F)
Annual Precipitation: 42 cm (17 in).
Latitude Range: 30° - 50° N and S
Global Position: central and southern California; coastal zones bordering
the Mediterranean Sea; coastal Western Australia and South Australia;
Chilean coast; Cape Town region of South Africa
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 2: MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Dry Midlatitude Climates (Bs) grasslands biome
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Temperature Range: 31 °C (56°F).
Annual Precipitation: 81 cm. (32 in.).
Latitude Range: 30°- 55° N and S
Global Position: western North America (Great Basin, Columbia Plateau, Great
Plains); Eurasian interior.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 2: MID-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Moist Continental Climate (Cf) Deciduous Forest biome
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Temperature Range: 31 °C (56 ° F)
Average Annual Precipitation: 81 cm (32 in).
Latitude Range: 30° - 55° N and S (Europe: 45° - 60° N).
Global Position: eastern parts of the United States and southern Canada;
northern China; Korea; Japan; central and eastern Europe.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 3: HIGH-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Boreal forest Climate ( Dfc) taiga biome
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Temperature Range: 41 °C (74 °F), lows; -25 °C (-14 °F), highs; 16 °C (60 °F).
Average Annual Precipitation: 31 cm (12 in).
Latitude Range: 50° - 70° N and S.
Global Position: central and western Alaska; Canada, from the Yukon Territory to
Labrador; Eurasia, from northern Europe across all of Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 3: HIGH-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Tundra Climate (E) tundra biome
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Temperature Range: -22 °C to 6 °C (-10 °F to 41 °F).
Average Annual Precipitation: 20 cm (8 in).
Latitude Range: 60° - 75° N.
Global Position: arctic zone of North America; Hudson Bay region; Greenland coast;
northern Siberia bordering the Arctic Ocean.
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3 BASIC CLIMATE GROUPS:
GROUP 3: HIGH-LATITUDE CLIMATES
Highland Climate (H) Alpine Biome
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Temperature Range: -18 °C to 10 °C (-2 °F to 50°F)
Average Annual Precipitation: 23 cm (9 in.)
Latitude Range: found all over the world
Global Position: Rocky Mountain Range in North America, the Andean mountain
range in South America, the Alps in Europe, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, the Himalayans
in Tibet, Mt. Fuji in Japan.
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ACTIVITY 1:
CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
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ACTIVITY 1:
CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES – SETTING THE SCENE
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Classify each city in Table 1 into one of the 5 major climate types. Use the World Map as reference.
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Compare the choices and reasoning for the whole class.
A – Equatorial
B – Arid
C – Warm Temperate
D – Snow
E – Polar
City, Country
Climate Type
Anchorage, Alaska
Bangalore, India
Bangkok, Thailand
Cairo, Egypt
Kiev, Ukraine
London, England
New Delhi, India
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tokyo, Japan
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ACTIVITY 1: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
HOW TO DETERMINE THE MAJOR CLIMATE TYPE USING THE KOPPEN-GEIGER CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
Calculate the annual
temperature (Tann) by
adding up the monthly mean
temperature values and
dividing by 12 (the number
of months in a year).
Record the coldest month’s
temperature (Tmin) and the
warmest month’s
temperature (Tmax)
Add up the monthly mean
precipitation values to find
the accumulated annual
precipitation (Pann).
Determine when
precipitation falls and
calculate the Precipitation
Threshold (Pth).
Table 2A
Value
Tann
Annual Air Temperature (oC)
24.70° C
Tmin
Air Temperature of Coldest Month (oC)
13.53° C
Tmax
Air Temperature of Warmest Month (oC)
32.72° C
Pann
Accumulated Annual Precipitation (mm)
710.16 mm
Pth
Precipitation Threshold (mm)
77.40 mm
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ACTIVITY 1: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
HOW TO DETERMINE THE MAJOR CLIMATE TYPE USING THE KOPPEN-GEIGER CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
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Using Part 1 of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification key determine the
major climate classification – Equatorial (A), Arid (B), Warm Temperate (C),
Snow (D) or Polar (E).
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New Delhi’s Main climate type is:
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ACTIVITY 1: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
HOW TO DETERMINE THE SUB CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
Table 2B
Value
Tmin
Amount of precipitation in the driest month (mm)
Twmax
Amount of precipitation in the wettest winter* month (mm)
Twmin
Amount of precipitation in the driest winter* month (mm)
Psmax
Amount of precipitation in the wettest summer* month (mm)
Psmin
Amount of precipitation in the driest summer* month (mm)
Are there at least 4 months with Air Temperature greater than 10°C?
3.97 mm
22.78 mm
3.97 mm
190.25 mm
10.47 mm
Yes
In the Arid (B) section determine the 2nd sub-category (based on precipitation)
and the 3rd sub-category (based on temperature).
New Delhi’s first sub-climate classification is: STEPPE (S)
Second sub-climate classification is: HOT (h)
Köppen-Geiger Classification is: BSh
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ACTIVITY 1: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
HOW TO DETERMINE THE SUB CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
30 year data for New Delhi, India (1979-2009, from NCDC)
Month
Mean Air Temperature (°C) Monthly Accumulated Precipitation (mm)
January
13.53
18.58
February
16.98
21.53
March
22.52
22.78
April
28.88
10.47
May
32.33
36.61
June
32.72
84.02
July
30.87
184.49
August
29.99
190.25
September
29.06
115.45
October
25.32
12.59
November
19.54
3.97
December
14.65
9.42
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ACTIVITY 1: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
HOW TO DETERMINE THE SUB CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION
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Calculate the annual temperature [Tann] from Table 2 or the climograph in Figure 2 by adding up the monthly
mean temperatures and dividing by 12 (the number of months in a year). Record this value in Table 2A.
Record the coldest month’s temperature (Tmin) and the warmest month’s temperature (Tmax) in Table 2A.
Add the monthly precipitation data to determine the accumulated annual precipitation (Pann).
Using either Table 1 or the climograph in Figure 2 as well as the formulas below, determine when precipitation falls
and calculate the Precipitation Threshold (Pth). Complete Table 2A.
If 70% or more of the precipitation falls
during the ‘high- sun’(summer half of the
year (April through September in the
Northern Hemisphere, or October through
March in the Southern Hemisphere) use the
following formula: Pth = (Tann x 2) + 28
If 70% or more of the precipitation falls
during the ‘low-sun (winter) half of the year
(November through March in the Northern
Hemisphere, or April through September in
the Southern Hemisphere) use the
following formula: Pth = Tann x 2
If precipitation is spread equally
throughout the year, use the following
formula:
Pth = (Tann x 2) + 14
Table 2A
Value
Tann
Annual Air Temperature (°C)
Tmin
Air Temperature of Coldest Month (°C)
Tmax
Air Temperature of Warmest Month (°C)
Pann
Accumulated Annual Precipitation (mm)
Pth
Precipitation Threshold (mm)
Using Part 1 of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification key determine the major climate classification –
Equatorial (A), Arid (B), Warm Temperate (C), Snow (D) or Polar (E).
New Delhi’s Main climate type is:
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ACTIVITY 2: PRACTICING CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION SKILLS
Using the city data provided
 Produce a climograph of monthly
mean air temperature and
precipitation.
 Write a description of the climate
of this location.
 Classify the climate of the location.
 Compare findings with the original
prediction at the start of Activity 1.
Use the Köppen-Geiger Climate
Classification Map.
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Appendix D: Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map and Classification Descriptions
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