1. Climate Regions Weather – the atmospheric conditions at a given time and place Climate – the average weather of a place over a long period of time “Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.”

2. Tropical Wet Always hot Days begin sunny, but cloud up in the afternoon with rain 80 inches of rainfall annually Central & South America, Africa & Southeast Asia

3. Tropical Wet and Dry Rainy Season in summer and dry season in winter Cooler in dry season and warmer in wet season Less rain than Tropical Wet Found adjacent to Tropical Wet regions

4. Semiarid Not much rainfall (16 inches annually) Hot summers, mild winters (occasional snow – not often) Found in interior of continents and around deserts Very productive agriculturally

5. Desert Can be hot or cold Receive less than 10 inches of rainfall/year Hot deserts (Sahara) have low humidity, so temperatures drop at night Cold deserts are found in the rain shadow of nearby mts

6. Mediterranean Dry, hot summers; cool, rainy winters Rich agriculture and dense populations are common Italy, U.S. West Coast, parts of Australia, coastal Chile

7. Marine West Coast Located close to ocean Cloudy, foggy, damp Warm ocean winds keep temperature constant Consistent rainfall Parts of U.S. west, Canada, & Western Europe Smog is common

8. Humid Subtropical Long periods of summer heat & humidity Mild winters East coast of continents Hurricanes are common Rice is a popular crop Southeastern U.S. & China

9. Humid Continental Variety in temperature and rainfall Mid-latitudes in the interior of continents Experience 4 seasons Length of season determined by latitude

10. Subarctic Evergreen forests (taiga) Huge temperature variations between summer and winter Summers are short Temperature is freezing 5-8 months/year Canada & Russia

11. Tundra Flat, treeless lands forming a ring around the Arctic Ocean Very little rainfall Permafrost – subsoil that is constantly frozen Summer is only a few weeks with temperatures rising to 40 degrees

12. Ice Cap Snow, ice, and permanently freezing temperatures So cold it rarely snows Sometimes called polar deserts Antarctica

13. Highlands Mountain climates Climates vary due to latitude, elevation, nearby landforms, and bodies of water