Continental climate

Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing some precipitation, and temperatures are not moderated by oceans. Continental climates occur mostly in the Northern Hemisphere due to the large landmasses found there. Most of northern and northeastern China, eastern and southeastern Europe, much of Russia south of the arctic circle, 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 somewhat more stable than winter weather. Continental climates are considered as temperate climate varieties due to their location in the temperate zones, but are classified separately from other temperate climates in the Köppen climate classification system where they are identified by their first letter, a capital D. In the Trewartha climate classification, they are identified as Dc.
Köppen climate classification
Continental climate has at least one month averaging below (or ) and at least one month averaging above .
Dfa = Hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), at least one month's average temperature above , and at least four months averaging above . No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).
Dfb = Warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), all months with average temperatures below , and at least four months averaging above . No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).
Dfc = Subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below (or ) and 1–3 months averaging above . No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).
Dfd = Extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below and 1–3 months averaging above . No significant precipitation difference between seasons (neither the abovementioned set of conditions fulfilled).
Dwa = Monsoon-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), at least one month's average temperature above , and at least four months averaging above . At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.
Dwb = Monsoon-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), all months with average temperatures below , and at least four months averaging above . At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.
Dwc = Monsoon-influenced subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below (or ) and 1–3 months averaging above . At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.
Dwd = Monsoon-influenced extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below and 1–3 months averaging above . At least ten times as much rain in the wettest month of summer as in the driest month of winter.
Dsa = Mediterranean-influenced hot-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), average temperature of the warmest month above and at least four months averaging above . At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than .
Dsb = Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer humid continental climate; coldest month averaging below (or ), average temperature of the warmest month below and at least four months averaging above . At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than .
Dsc = Mediterranean-influenced subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below (or ) and 1–3 months averaging above . At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than .
Dsd = Mediterranean-influenced extremely cold subarctic climate; coldest month averaging below and 1–3 months averaging above . At least three times as much precipitation in the wettest month of winter as in the driest month of summer, and the driest month of summer receives less than .
Seasons
Annual precipitation in this zone is usually between and , 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. Summers are warm or hot while winters are below freezing and sustain lots of frost.
Climatology
Continental climates exist where cold air masses infiltrate during the winter from shorter days and warm air masses form in summer under conditions of high sun and longer 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 or arid climates where precipitation becomes inadequate for tall-grass prairies and shrublands. In Europe these climates may grade off into oceanic climates (Cfb) or subpolar oceanic climates (Cfc) in which the influence of cool oceanic air masses is more marked toward the west. In western and eastern Asia, and the central United States these climates grade off toward humid subtropical climates (Cfa/Cwa), subtropical highland climates (Cwb), or Mediterranean climates (Csa/Csb) to the south.
List of locations with a continental climate
The climate is continental if the 0°C coldest-month isotherm is used, but it is temperate if the -3°C isotherm is used.
Africa
Morocco
Imilchil (bordering Cfb)
Eurasia
Asia
Afghanistan: Fayzabad (Dsb), Ghazni (Dsa bordering BSk), Puli Alam (Dsa)
Armenia: Gyumri, Sisian, Vanadzor, Yerevan (bordering BSk)
Azerbaijan: Qabala (bordering Cfa), Shamakhi (bordering Cfa)
China: Beijing, Biru County, Changchun, Dalian, Harbin, Jinan (bordering Cwa), Lhasa (bordering BSk/Cwb), Qiqihar, Shenyang, Shigatse, Suihua, Ulanhot, Ürümqi (bordering BSk), Yantai, Yichun
Georgia: Akhaltsikhe
India: Dras (Dsb bordering Dfb), Kargil
Iran: Abali (Dsb), Arak (Dsa bordering BSk), Ardabil (bordering BSk), Hamadan (Dsa bordering BSk), Saqqez (Dsa), Sardasht (Dsa), Tabriz (Dsa bordering BSk), Urmia (bordering BSk)
Japan: Aomori, Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Mount Aso, Nagano (bordering Cfa), Nichinan (bordering Cfa), Sapporo, Tendō
Kazakhstan: Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, Oskemen, Pavlodar, Semey, Shymkent (Dsa), Taraz (Dsa bordering BSk)
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek (Dsa), Jalal-Abad (Dsa), Osh (Dsa)
Mongolia: Baruunturuun (bordering Dwc), Darkhan, Kharkhorin
North Korea: Haeju, Kaesong, Nampo, Pyongyang, Rason
Russia: Barnaul, Blagoveshchensk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Kurilsk (bordering Dfc), Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Tomsk, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
South Korea: Cheongju, Chuncheon, Chupungnyeong, Daejeon, Incheon, Seoul, Wonju, Yeongcheon (bordering Cfa)
South Ossetia: Tskhinvali (disputed with Georgia)
Tajikistan: Isfara (Dsa), Konibodom (Dsa), Panjakent (Dsa)
Turkey: Ardahan, Erzurum, Hakkâri (Dsa), Kars, Muş (Dsa)
Uzbekistan: Chirchiq (Dsa bordering Csa)
Europe
Andorra: Canillo, El Pas de la Casa (bordering Dfc)
Austria: Baden bei Wien (bordering Cfb) , Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Neukirchen bei Lambach
Belarus: Brest, Gomel, Minsk, Pinsk
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Goražde, Istočno Sarajevo, Livno
Bulgaria: Pazardzhik (bordering Cfa), Pernik, Pleven, Smolyan (Dsb), Sofia (bordering Cfb), Veliko Tarnovo
Croatia: Gospić
Czech Republic: Brno, České Budějovice, Liberec, Olomouc , Ostrava, Plzeň
Estonia: Hiiumaa, Pärnu, Saaremaa, Tallinn, Tartu
Finland: Åland, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Pori, Turku
France: Chamonix, Mouthe, Saint-Véran (bordering Dfc)
Germany: Ansbach, Augsburg (bordering Cfb), Bayreuth, Chemnitz , Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Görlitz, Ingolstadt , Kempten, Magdeburg (bordering Cfb), Potsdam (bordering Cfb), Reutlingen, Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Weimar , Wittenberg
Greece: Aetomilitsa, Kato Vermio, Samarina
Hungary: Debrecen, Kecskemét (bordering Cfa/Cfb), Miskolc, Szeged (bordering Cfa/Cfb), Szombathely (bordering Cfb)
Italy: Bruneck, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame , Toblach
Kazakhstan: Oral (bordering BSk)
Kosovo: Pristina (disputed with Serbia)
Latvia: Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepāja, Riga
Liechtenstein: Schaan (bordering Cfb)
Lithuania: Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Vilnius
Moldova: Bălți, Chișinău, Comrat
Montenegro: Žabljak (bordering Dfc)
North Macedonia: Berovo
Norway: Bodø (bordering Dfc), Drammen, Hamar, Lillehammer (bordering Dfc), Oslo, Steinkjer, Trondheim
Poland: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Poznań (bordering Cfb), Toruń, Warsaw
Romania: Brașov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Ploiești, Sibiu, Timișoara
Russia: Chelyabinsk, Grozny, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Moscow, Nalchik, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Smolensk, Taganrog, Ufa, Vladikavkaz, Voronezh
Serbia: Nova Varoš, Subotica
Slovakia: Banská Bystrica, Košice, Pezinok , Prešov, Žilina
Slovenia: Lendava (bordering Cfb), Murska Sobota
Sweden: Härnösand, Jönköping, Kalmar (bordering Cfb), Norrköping, Stockholm, Sundsvall, Uppsala, Visby (bordering Cfb)
Switzerland: Gstaad, La Brévine (bordering Dfc), Poschiavo
Transnistria: Tiraspol (disputed with Moldova)
Ukraine: Dnipro, Donetsk (occupied by Russia), Izmail (bordering Cfa), Kharkiv, Kherson, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, Luhansk (occupied by Russia), Lviv, Mariupol (occupied by Russia), Odesa (bordering BSk/Cfa), Uzhhorod, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr
North America
Canada
Calgary (higher areas are Dfc)
Charlottetown
Edmonton
Fredericton
Gander, NL
Goose Bay, NL (bordering Dfc)
Halifax
Hamilton, ON
Kelowna, BC
Marystown, NL
Moncton
Montreal
Moose Factory
Murdochville, PQ
Ottawa
Penticton, BC (bordering BSk)
Prince George, BC
Quebec City
Regina (bordering BSk)
Rimouski, PQ
Sable Island (bordering Cfb)
St. John's, NL
Saskatoon (bordering BSk)
Stewart, BC
Sudbury
Sydney, NS
Thunder Bay
Toronto
Windsor
Winnipeg
Yarmouth, NS
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Bordering Dfc
United States
Midwest
Bismarck, ND
Cahokia Heights, IL (bordering Cfa)
Chicago
Cincinnati (downtown is Cfa)
Cleveland
Columbus, OH
Des Moines
Detroit
Duluth, MN
Fargo, ND
Grand Rapids, MI
Green Bay, WI
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
North Platte, NE
Omaha
Rapid City, SD (bordering BSk)
Sioux Falls, SD
Springfield, IL
Toledo, OH
Topeka
Northeast
Albany
Allentown, PA
Boston
Bridgeport, CT (bordering Cfa)
Buffalo
Burlington, VT
Cape Cod (bordering Cfb)
Erie, PA
Harrisburg (downtown and riverfront (including City Island) are Cfa)
Hartford
Lancaster, PA (bordering Cfa)
Manchester, NH
New Haven
Newport, RI (bordering Cfa/Cfb)
Paterson, NJ (bordering Cfa)
Pittsburgh
Portland, ME
Poughkeepsie, NY
Princeton, NJ (bordering Cfa)
Providence, RI
Riverhead, NY (north side facing Long Island Sound is Cfa)
Rochester
Scranton, PA
Southampton, NY
Springfield, MA
Syracuse
White Plains, NY
Worcester, MA
South
Beech Mountain, NC
Boone, NC (bordering Cfb)
Brasstown Bald, GA (bordering Cfb)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (bordering Cfa)
Clifton Forge, VA (bordering Cfa)
Clingmans Dome, NC/TN
Cumberland, MD
Ebright Azimuth, DE (bordering Cfa)
Elkins, WV
Mount Mitchell, NC
Romney, WV (bordering Cfa)
Wheeling, WV
White Sulphur Springs, WV
Winchester, VA (bordering Cfa)
West
Alturas, CA (Dsb bordering BSk/Csb)
Aspen, CO
Billings, MT (bordering BSk)
Cambridge, ID (Dsa)
Cheyenne, WY (bordering BSk)
Coeur D'Alene, ID (Dsb bordering Csb)
Fairbanks (bordering Dfc)
Flagstaff, AZ (bordering BSk)
Government Camp, OR (Dsb bordering Dsc)
Idaho Falls (bordering BSk)
Jackson, WY (bordering Dfc)
Joseph, OR
Juneau (bordering Dfc)
Klamath Falls, OR (Dsb)
Kodiak, AK (bordering Cfb/Cfc/Dfc)
Logan, UT
Los Alamos, NM (bordering BSk)
Loveland, CO (bordering BSk)
Mammoth Lakes, CA (Dsb)
Mountain City, NV (bordering BSk)
Nenana, AK (bordering Dfc)
Ogden, UT
Orofino, ID (Dsb bordering Dsa)
Park City, UT
Petersburg, AK
Salt Lake City (Dsa bordering Csa)
Santa Fe, NM (bordering BSk)
Skagway, AK (Dsb bordering Dsc)
Spokane, WA (Dsb bordering Dsa)
Tahoe City, CA (Dsb)
Taos, NM (bordering BSk)
Telluride, CO
Tusayan, AZ (bordering BSk)
Winthrop, WA (Dsb)
Oceania
Australia
Falls Creek, Victoria (bordering Dfc)
Kiandra, New South Wales (bordering Cfb)
Mount Buller, Victoria (bordering Cfb/Cfc/Dfc)
South America
Argentina
Puente del Inca, Mendoza Province (Dsb bordering Csb)
Chile
Lonquimay, Araucanía Region (bordering Cfb)
Sewell, O'Higgins Region (Dsb bordering Dsc)
See also
Hemiboreal climate
Humid continental climate
Microthermal climate
Subarctic climate
References
External links
Climate of Europe
Köppen climate types