page_title: Chihuahua (state)
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Chihuahua (state) / Climate
context_page_description: Chihuahua, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Chihuahua, is one of the 32 states which comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Northwestern Mexico and is bordered by the states of Sonora to the west, Sinaloa to the southwest, Durango to the south, and Coahuila to the east. To the north and northeast, it shares an extensive border with the U.S. adjacent to the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. Its capital city is Chihuahua City.
  Although Chihuahua is primarily identified with the Chihuahuan Desert for namesake, it has more forests than any other state in Mexico, with the exception of Durango. Due to its variant climate, the state has a large variety of fauna and flora. The state is mostly characterized by rugged mountainous terrain and wide river valleys.
  The Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, part of the continental spine that also includes the Rocky Mountains, dominates the state's terrain and is home to the state's greatest attraction, Las Barrancas del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, a canyon system larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon.
context_section_description: The climate in the state depends mainly in the elevation of the terrain. According to Köppen climate classification the state has five major climate zones. The Sierra Madre Occidental dominates the western part of the state; there are two main climates in this area:  Subtropical Highland (Cfb) and Humid Subtropical (Cwa). There are some microclimates in the state due to the varying topology mostly found in the western side of the state. The two best known microclimates are: Tropical savanna climate (Aw) in deep canyons located in the extreme southern part of the state; Continental Mediterranean climate (Dsb) in the extremely high elevations of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Satellite image to the right shows the vegetation is much greener in the west because of the cooler temperatures and larger amounts of precipitation as compared to the rest of the state.
  
  In the far eastern part of the state the Chihuahuan Desert dominates due to low precipitation and extremely high temperatures; some areas of the eastern part of the state are so dry no vegetation is found like the Sand Dunes of Samalayuca. There are two distinctive climate zones found in the eastern part of the state: Hot Desert (BWh) and Cool Desert (BWk) which are differentiated by average annual temperature due to differences in elevation. There is a transition zone in the middle of the state between the two extremely different climates from the east and west; this zone is the Steppe characterized by a compromise between juxtaposed climate zones.
  Subtropical Highland (Cfb) most common at elevations above 2,200 m (7,200 ft) above sea level; this climate zone has warm summers reaching a maximum temperature of 28 °C (82.4 °F)and summer lows of 10 °C (50.0 °F). Heavy rainstorms are observed from July to September. Winters are cold reaching a maximum low of −20 °C (−4 °F) and a maximum high of −8 °C (18 °F). During the winter months many snowstorms are observed with typically 1 m (39 in) of snow per season.
  Humid Subtropical (Cwa) climate is most common at elevations between 1,300 to 2,200 m (4,300 to 7,200 ft) above sea level; this climate zone has warm humid summers and an average summer temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). The summer average precipitation is 700 millimetres (28 in), mostly in the months of: July, August, and September. From November to March there are many rainstorms and snowstorms caused by high elevation and prominent cold fronts.  Winter temperatures can reach a low of −16 °C (3 °F).
  Semi-arid climate or Steppe (BSk) is most common at elevations between 1,200 to 1,500 m (3,900 to 4,900 ft) above sea level; this climate zone has an annual average of 18 °C (64 °F) and maximum temperatures above 38 °C (100 °F) and lows reaching slightly below 0 °C (32 °F), with a wet season in the late summer and fall. Snowfall is rare but possible in the winter and frost is common from December to March. The annual average rainfall in the steppe climate zone is about 475 millimetres (19 in).
  Hot Desert (BWh) is most common at elevations below 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level; this climate zone tends to have a hot summer at temperatures that often reach 43 °C (109 °F). Winter is warm, rarely dropping below 0 °C (32 °F). Precipitation averages 6–10 in. per year; most of the moisture falls during the monsoon of late summer.
  Cool Desert (BWk) is most common at elevations below 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level; this climate zone tends to have a mild summer, rarely reaching temperatures over 41 °C (106 °F). Winter weather varies from mild to cold depending on northern fronts, often dropping below 0 °C (32 °F). Precipitation averages 10–16 in. per year; most of the moisture falls during the monsoon of late summer.
caption: Chihuahua white pines amid snow.
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