The World Factbook. 2008.
Climate
Country | Climate |
Afghanistan | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers |
Akrotiri | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Albania | mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter |
Algeria | arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer |
American Samoa | tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation |
Andorra | temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers |
Angola | semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April) |
Anguilla | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds |
Antarctica | severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing |
Antigua and Barbuda | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation |
Arctic Ocean | polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow |
Argentina | mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest |
Armenia | highland continental, hot summers, cold winters |
Aruba | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
Ashmore and Cartier Islands | tropical |
Atlantic Ocean | tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November |
Australia | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
Austria | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers |
Azerbaijan | dry, semiarid steppe |
Bahamas, The | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
Bahrain | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers |
Bangladesh | tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) |
Barbados | tropical; rainy season (June to October) |
Belarus | cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime |
Belgium | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy |
Belize | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
Benin | tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
Bermuda | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter |
Bhutan | varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas |
Bolivia | varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast |
Botswana | semiarid; warm winters and hot summers |
Bouvet Island | antarctic |
Brazil | mostly tropical, but temperate in south |
British Indian Ocean Territory | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
British Virgin Islands | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
Brunei | tropical; hot, humid, rainy |
Bulgaria | temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers |
Burkina Faso | tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Burma | tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April) |
Burundi | equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January) |
Cambodia | tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation |
Cameroon | varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north |
Canada | varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north |
Cape Verde | temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic |
Cayman Islands | tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) |
Central African Republic | tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers |
Chad | tropical in south, desert in north |
Chile | temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
China | extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north |
Christmas Island | tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds |
Clipperton Island | tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season (May to October) |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year |
Colombia | tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands |
Comoros | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator – wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator – wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) |
Congo, Republic of the | tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator |
Cook Islands | tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March |
Coral Sea Islands | tropical |
Costa Rica | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
Cote d’Ivoire | tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons – warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October) |
Croatia | Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast |
Cuba | tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) |
Cyprus | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Czech Republic | temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
Denmark | temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers |
Dhekelia | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Djibouti | desert; torrid, dry |
Dominica | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall |
Dominican Republic | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall |
Ecuador | tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
Egypt | desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters |
El Salvador | tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands |
Equatorial Guinea | tropical; always hot, humid |
Eritrea | hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands |
Estonia | maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers |
Ethiopia | tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation |
European Union | cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south |
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate |
Faroe Islands | mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy |
Fiji | tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation |
Finland | cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes |
France | metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) |
French Polynesia | tropical, but moderate |
French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul: oceanic with persistent westerly winds and high humidity Iles Crozet: windy, cold, wet, and cloudy Iles Kerguelen: oceanic, cold, overcast, windy Iles Eparses: tropical |
Gabon | tropical; always hot, humid |
Gambia, The | tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May) |
Gaza Strip | temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers |
Georgia | warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast |
Germany | temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind |
Ghana | tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north |
Gibraltar | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Greece | temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers |
Greenland | arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters |
Grenada | tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds |
Guam | tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation |
Guatemala | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands |
Guernsey | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Guinea | generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds |
Guinea-Bissau | tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds |
Guyana | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
Haiti | tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds |
Heard Island and McDonald Islands | antarctic |
Holy See (Vatican City) | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) |
Honduras | subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains |
Hong Kong | subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall |
Hungary | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers |
Iceland | temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
India | varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north |
Indian Ocean | northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean |
Indonesia | tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
Iran | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast |
Iraq | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
Ireland | temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time |
Isle of Man | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time |
Israel | temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas |
Italy | predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
Jamaica | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
Jan Mayen | arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog |
Japan | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
Jersey | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Jordan | mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) |
Kazakhstan | continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid |
Kenya | varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior |
Kiribati | tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds |
Korea, North | temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer |
Korea, South | temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter |
Kosovo | influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December |
Kosovo | influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December |
Kuwait | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters |
Kyrgyzstan | dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone |
Laos | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) |
Latvia | maritime; wet, moderate winters |
Lebanon | Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows |
Lesotho | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Liberia | tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers |
Libya | Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior |
Liechtenstein | continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers |
Lithuania | transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers |
Luxembourg | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers |
Macau | subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers |
Macedonia | warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall |
Madagascar | tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south |
Malawi | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) |
Malaysia | tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons |
Maldives | tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) |
Mali | subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February) |
Malta | Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers |
Marshall Islands | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
Mauritania | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty |
Mauritius | tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May) |
Mayotte | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) |
Mexico | varies from tropical to desert |
Micronesia, Federated States of | tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage |
Moldova | moderate winters, warm summers |
Monaco | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers |
Mongolia | desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) |
Montenegro | Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland |
Montserrat | tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation |
Morocco | Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior |
Mozambique | tropical to subtropical |
Namibia | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
Nauru | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
Navassa Island | marine, tropical |
Nepal | varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south |
Netherlands | temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters |
Netherlands Antilles | tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds |
New Caledonia | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid |
New Zealand | temperate with sharp regional contrasts |
Nicaragua | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
Niger | desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
Nigeria | varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north |
Niue | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds |
Norfolk Island | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
Northern Mariana Islands | tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October |
Norway | temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast |
Oman | dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south |
Pacific Ocean | planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal – a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December |
Pakistan | mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north |
Palau | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November |
Panama | tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) |
Papua New Guinea | tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation |
Paracel Islands | tropical |
Paraguay | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
Peru | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes |
Philippines | tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October) |
Pitcairn Islands | tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March) |
Poland | temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers |
Portugal | maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south |
Puerto Rico | tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation |
Qatar | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers |
Romania | temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms |
Russia | ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast |
Rwanda | temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible |
Saint Barthelemy | tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid) |
Saint Helena | Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Saint Lucia | tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August |
Saint Martin | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Samoa | tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) |
San Marino | Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers |
Sao Tome and Principe | tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) |
Saudi Arabia | harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
Senegal | tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind |
Serbia | in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns) |
Seychelles | tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) |
Sierra Leone | tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) |
Singapore | tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons – Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon – frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms |
Slovakia | temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
Slovenia | Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east |
Solomon Islands | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
Somalia | principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons |
South Africa | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow |
Southern Ocean | sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter |
Spain | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast |
Spratly Islands | tropical |
Sri Lanka | tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) |
Sudan | tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) |
Suriname | tropical; moderated by trade winds |
Svalbard | arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year |
Swaziland | varies from tropical to near temperate |
Sweden | temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
Switzerland | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
Syria | mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus |
Taiwan | tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year |
Tajikistan | midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains |
Tanzania | varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands |
Thailand | tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid |
Timor-Leste | tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons |
Togo | tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
Tokelau | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) |
Tonga | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
Trinidad and Tobago | tropical; rainy season (June to December) |
Tunisia | temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south |
Turkey | temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior |
Turkmenistan | subtropical desert |
Turks and Caicos Islands | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Tuvalu | tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) |
Uganda | tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast |
Ukraine | temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south |
United Arab Emirates | desert; cooler in eastern mountains |
United Kingdom | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
United States | mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains |
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges | Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February) and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by prevailing easterly winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the winter Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year |
Uruguay | warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown |
Uzbekistan | mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east |
Vanuatu | tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April |
Venezuela | tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
Vietnam | tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) |
Virgin Islands | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November |
Wake Island | tropical |
Wallis and Futuna | tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C |
West Bank | temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters |
Western Sahara | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
World | a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates – bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones – that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates |
Yemen | mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east |
Zambia | tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) |
Zimbabwe | tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) |