page_title: Climatic regions of Argentina
section_title: Patagonia
hierarchical_section_title: Climatic regions of Argentina / Patagonia
caption_attribution_description: English: bariloche view עברית: עמדת תצפית "הקילומטר ה-17" בעיר ברילוצ'ה, ארגנטינה. צולם בדצמבר 2009 ע"י יואב לוי
context_page_description: Due to its vast size and range of altitudes, Argentina possesses a wide variety of climatic regions, ranging from the hot subtropical region in the north to the cold subantarctic in the far south. Lying between those is the Pampas region, featuring a mild and humid climate. Many regions have different, often contrasting, microclimates. In general, Argentina has four main climate types: warm, moderate, arid, and cold in which the relief features, and the latitudinal extent of the country, determine the different varieties within the main climate types.
  Northern parts of the country are characterized by hot, humid summers with mild, drier winters, and highly seasonal precipitation. Mesopotamia, located in northeast Argentina, has a subtropical climate with no dry season and is characterized by high temperatures and abundant rainfall because of exposure to moist easterly winds from the Atlantic Ocean throughout the year.
context_section_description: Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego are the provinces that make up Patagonia.
  The Patagonian climate is classified as arid to semi-arid and temperate to cool temperate. The exception is the Bosque Andino Patagónico, a forested area located in the extreme west and southern parts of Tierra del Fuego Province, which has a humid, wet, and cool to cold climate. One defining characteristic is the strong winds from the west which blow year round (stronger in summer than in winter). These favor evaporation, and are a factor in making the region mostly arid. Mean annual wind speeds range between 15 to 22 km/h (9 to 14 mph), although gusts of over 100 km/h (62 mph) are common. There are three major factors that influence the climate of this region: the Andes, the South Pacific and the South Atlantic Highs, and higher insolation in eastern than in western areas.
  The Andes play a crucial role in determining the climate of Patagonia because their north–south orientation creates a barrier for humid air masses coming from the Pacific Ocean. Since the predominant wind is from the west and most air masses come from the Pacific Ocean, the Andes cause these air masses to ascend, cooling adiabatically. Most of the moisture is dropped on the Chilean side, resulting in abundant precipitation, while in much of the Argentine side, the air warms adiabatically and becomes drier as it descends. As a result, the Andes create an extensive rain-shadow in much of Argentine Patagonia, causing most of the region to be arid. South of 52ᵒS, the Andes are lower in elevation, reducing the rain shadow effect in Tierra del Fuego Province, allowing forests to thrive on the Atlantic coast.
  Patagonia is located between the subtropical high pressure belt, and the subpolar low pressure zone, meaning it is exposed to westerly winds that are strong, since south of 40ᵒ S, there is little land to block these winds. Being located between the semipermanent South Pacific and the South Atlantic Highs at around 30ᵒS, and the Subpolar Low at around 60ᵒ S, the movement of the high and low pressure systems, along with ocean currents, determine the precipitation pattern. During winter, both the South Pacific and South Atlantic highs move to the north, while the Subpolar Low strengthens, which, when combined with higher ocean temperatures than the surrounding land, results in higher precipitation during this time of the year. Due to the northward migration of the South Pacific High, more frontal systems can pass through, allowing for more precipitation to occur. During summer, the South Pacific High migrates southward, preventing the passage of fronts, and cyclones that can cause precipitation to occur, resulting in lower precipitation during this time of the year. Northeastern areas, along with southern parts of the region, are influenced by air masses from the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in precipitation being more evenly distributed throughout the year. Most precipitation comes from frontal systems, particularly stationary fronts that bring humid air from the Atlantic Ocean.
  Cold fronts usually move from west to east, or from southwest to northeast, but rarely from the south. Because of this, these cold fronts do not result in the cold being intense since they are moderated as they pass over the surrounding oceans. In the rare cases when cold fronts move northwards from the south (Antarctica), the cold air masses are not moderated by the surrounding oceans, resulting in very cold temperatures throughout the region. In general, the passage of cold fronts is more common in the south than in the north, and occurs more in winter than in summer. The movement of warm, subtropical air into the region occurs frequently in summer up to 46ᵒS. When warm subtropical air arrives in the region, the air is dry, resulting in little precipitation, and causes temperatures to be higher than those observed in northeast Argentina.
caption: View of Bariloche and Nahuel Huapi Lake. Most of western Patagonia receives abundant precipitation, allowing it to support forests and lakes.[104][115]
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