continental climate

Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland, and temperatures are not moderated by

bodies of water

such as oceans or seas. Continental climates occur mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, which has the kind of large landmasses on temperate latitudes required for this type of climate to develop. Most of northern and northeastern

China

, eastern and southeastern

Europe

, Western and north western

Iran

, central and southeastern

Canada

, and the central and northeastern

United States

have this type of climate. Continentality is a measure of the degree to which a region experiences this type of climate.

In continental climates,

precipitation

tends to be moderate in amount, concentrated mostly in the warmer months. Only a few areas—in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest of North America and in

Iran

, northern

Iraq

, adjacent

Turkey

,

Afghanistan

,

Pakistan

, and

Central Asia

—show a winter maximum in precipitation. A portion of the annual precipitation falls as snowfall, and snow often remains on the ground for more than a month. Summers in continental climates can feature thunderstorms and frequent hot temperatures; however, summer weather is more stable than winter weather.

Spring and autumn

The timing of intermediate spring-like or autumn-like temperatures in this zone vary depending on latitude and/or elevation. For example, spring may arrive as soon as March in the southern parts of this zone or as late as May in the north. Annual precipitation in this zone is usually between and , most of it in the form of snow during winter. It also has cold winters and warm summers.

Köppen climate classification

Most such areas fit Köppen classifications of Dfa, Dwa (cold winters, hot summers; "w" indicating very dry winters characteristic especially of China) or Dfb or Dwb (cold winters, warm summers, same distinction for winter dryness). Dry summer continental climates (Dsa and Dsb) exist in high altitude areas near Mediterranean climates. In some cases, the semi-arid climate classification of BSk and the desert climate of BWk can also be considered to be continental as long as it has cold winters. The definition of this climate regarding temperature is as follows: the mean temperature of the coldest month must be below and there must be at least four months whose mean temperatures are at or above .

Climatology

Continental climates exist where cold air masses infiltrate during the winter and warm air masses form in summer under conditions of high sun and long days. Places with continental climates are as a rule are either far from any moderating effect of oceans or are so situated that prevailing winds tend to head offshore. Such regions get quite warm in the summer, achieving temperatures characteristic of tropical climates but are colder than any other climates of similar latitude in the winter.

Neighboring climates

In the Köppen climate system, these climates grade off toward temperate climates equator-ward where winters are less severe and semi-arid climates where precipitation becomes inadequate for tall-grass prairies. In Europe these climates may grade off into oceanic climates in which the influence of cool oceanic air masses is more marked toward the west. The subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), with very cold, long and dry winters, but with at least one month above , might be considered a sub-type of the continental climate.

List of locations with a continental climate

Eurasia

Asia

*

China

:

Beijing

,

Harbin

*

South Korea

:

Seoul

,

Incheon

*

Japan

:

Sapporo

*

Kazakhstan

: Nur-Sultan,

Almaty

*

Kyrgyzstan

:

Bishkek

*

Mongolia

:

Ulaanbaatar

*

North Korea

:

Pyongyang

Oceania

*

Australia

: Kiandra
*

Australia

: Cabramurra
*

Australia

: Dinner Plain

Europe

*

Belarus

:

Minsk

*

Bosnia and Herzegovina

:

Sarajevo

*

Bulgaria

:

Sofia

*

Estonia

:

Tallinn

*

Finland

:

Helsinki

,

Turku

*

Hungary

:

Budapest

*

Latvia

:

Riga

*Lithuania:

Vilnius

*

Moldova

: Chișinău
*

Norway

:

Oslo

*

Poland

:

Warsaw

*

Romania

:

Bucharest

*

Slovakia

:

Bratislava

*

Switzerland

:

Bern

Russia

*Chelyabinsk
*

Kazan

*

Moscow

*Novosibirsk
*Omsk
* Perm
*

Saint Petersburg

*

Samara

*

Vladivostok

*

Volgograd

*

Voronezh

*

Ufa

North America

*

Canada

:

Calgary

;

Edmonton

;

Winnipeg

; Hamilton, Ontario;

Toronto

;

Ottawa

;

Montreal

;

Quebec City

File:Edmonton River Valley.jpg, alt=Edmonton River Valley, North Saskatchewan River valley in Edmonton
File:Forks Riverwalk.jpg, The Forks, with

St. Boniface Cathedral

in the background in Winnipeg
File:Skyline as viewed from Sam Smith.jpg, Toronto skyline taken from Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke
File:Downtown view from SAIT.JPG, Downtown Calgary from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) campus
File:Le Stade Olympique 3.jpg, Olympic Stadium in Montreal
File:Québec City shore.JPG, Quebec City shore

*

United States

:

Minneapolis

;

Milwaukee

;

Detroit

;

Pittsburgh

;

Boston

;

Chicago

;

Indianapolis

;

Spokane

;

Salt Lake City

File:Pitt Skyline.jpg, Downtown Pittsburgh from Station Square
File:USA Massachusetts Boston Foliage.jpg, Boston's skyline in the background, with fall foliage in the foreground

See also

* Hemiboreal climate
* Humid continental climate
* Microthermal climate

References

External links

{{Authority control

Climate of Europe
Köppen climate types