Climate Classification
Sunday, July 5, 2026 7:38 AM
Climate Distribution
- A region's climate consists of long-term weather conditions, climate is the pattern of day
to day weather over a long period of time; climate looks at long-term averages of
weather. Weather is short term; it’s the day-to-day state of the atmosphere.
○ Understanding the global patterns of climate is important b/c it affects other
components of the environment
○ I.E. climate is the primary factor controlling the world's distribution of vegetation. It
also has a major influence on landform characteristics. Even distribution of the earth's
human population (where you & I choose to live) is also influenced by climate
- The pattern of the world climates is the result of combining factors, including
distribution of land & sea, the location of mountains & plains, the positioning of the
great wind & pressure systems of the atmosphere & the distribution of the ocean
currents
- Climates are so diverse no 2 places on the earth experience exactly the same
conditions. In an effort to examine the world’s climate , instead of looking at each
locality as having a different climate, scientists have classified (grouped) climate into
groups of similar climates, or “climate regions” based on a set of criteria
○ Remember that regions are areas that have elements of climate in common, after
creating the world climate regions, global distribution isn’t random climates are
spatially organized. There are patterns in the location of particular climate types,
where similar climates exist between very distant locations over the world.
Climate Classification
- The earliest known climatic classification system was developed by the Greeks, a 3-fold
classification where the earth is divided into climate groupings based on temperature,
alone.
○ They are defined as "frigid zone" in the polar region, referred to the colder regions to
the north of the Mediterranean
○ The "temperate zone" is located in the middle latitudes was the area was where the
Greeks lived, which they considered to be the optimum climate
○ The "torrid zone" in the tropics referred to the warmer areas south of the
Mediterranean
○ In the 20th Century, climatologists developed several other climate classification
systems. The most widely used is the scheme developed in 1928 by Vladimir Köppen,
a German climatologist + botanist.
- It’s based on average monthly temps, monthly & annual precipitation amounts, from
equator to the poles. It doesn’t consider winds, temp extremes, precipitation intensity,
quantity of sunshine or cloud cover; a generalization, it looks only at temp & precipitation
- The system’s feature is a symbolic, consisting of a combination of letters where each is a
different criterion in the classification scheme.
○ The first level/letter in the Köppen system are 6 major climatic regions:
1. The first letter represents the major climate group. That alone is too much of a
generalization, so each category is further divided into subcategories (with a 2nd or 3rd
letter) based on average temperature and precipitation. For example, the U.S./Gulf of
Mexico is classified as a Cfa climate type:
C = mild midlatitude
f = feucht (moist, in German)
a = average temperature of the warmest month is above 72F
* This gives us a good idea of the climate in this region: a mild climate w/ no dry season & a
hot summer.
- Classifying climate/regionalizing anything creates shortcomings, one in classifying
climate is loss of detail. The key to understanding classifying anything is generalization,
we have to ignore the small differences between places in order to see the big picture &
details about climates in a location
- The climate in Whittier CA, is different from the climate right along the coast. Both
places are classified as Mediterranean climate b/c their general characteristics are
similar (in terms of precipitation). When looking at temperature, both places are warm,
have mild winters & summers. It may get warmer in the summer & colder in the winter
the farther inland you go from the coast, but you have to generalize to classify
climate. When looking at rainfall, both locations receive most or all of the rain in the
winter & similar amounts
- The 2nd shortcoming in classifying climate are the boundaries between climate
regions. Consider these boundaries as zones of transition & not a definite line, climate
types DON’T suddenly change at the boundaries. Since Köppen was also a botanist, he
looked not only at temp & precipitation in different areas, but also at vegetation. He used
the vegetation to help define his boundaries. You'll notice several of his climate types are
named after vegetation types
Climograph
- A climograph is one of the key tools used in climate study & a common technique for
displaying climatic data in graphic form. In a single chart, the climatic regime of location
can be summarized. St. Louis is the meeting ground for continental polar (cP) &
maritime tropical (mT) air masses, especially in the winter. This creates the winter
frontal precipitation, during the summer, it’s warm enough for convective precipitation,
due to its lower midlatitude & interior (continental) location. This is also why it has a
large annual temperature range (continentality).
- The average monthly precipitation data are totals for each month which are again
averaged for as many years as that data has been collected. Understand that temps do
get warmer & colder than indicated on the climographs b/c these are daily averages,
there are cold spell & heat wave periods as well. There are also drought periods &
periods of excessive precipitation, too. But, the climographs show climate: averages in
the weather conditions, not the weather (the day-to-day state of the atmosphere).
Sunday, July 5, 2026 7:38 AM
Climate Distribution
- A region's climate consists of long-term weather conditions, climate is the pattern of day
to day weather over a long period of time; climate looks at long-term averages of
weather. Weather is short term; it’s the day-to-day state of the atmosphere.
○ Understanding the global patterns of climate is important b/c it affects other
components of the environment
○ I.E. climate is the primary factor controlling the world's distribution of vegetation. It
also has a major influence on landform characteristics. Even distribution of the earth's
human population (where you & I choose to live) is also influenced by climate
- The pattern of the world climates is the result of combining factors, including
distribution of land & sea, the location of mountains & plains, the positioning of the
great wind & pressure systems of the atmosphere & the distribution of the ocean
currents
- Climates are so diverse no 2 places on the earth experience exactly the same
conditions. In an effort to examine the world’s climate , instead of looking at each
locality as having a different climate, scientists have classified (grouped) climate into
groups of similar climates, or “climate regions” based on a set of criteria
○ Remember that regions are areas that have elements of climate in common, after
creating the world climate regions, global distribution isn’t random climates are
spatially organized. There are patterns in the location of particular climate types,
where similar climates exist between very distant locations over the world.
Climate Classification
- The earliest known climatic classification system was developed by the Greeks, a 3-fold
classification where the earth is divided into climate groupings based on temperature,
alone.
○ They are defined as "frigid zone" in the polar region, referred to the colder regions to
the north of the Mediterranean
○ The "temperate zone" is located in the middle latitudes was the area was where the
Greeks lived, which they considered to be the optimum climate
○ The "torrid zone" in the tropics referred to the warmer areas south of the
Mediterranean
○ In the 20th Century, climatologists developed several other climate classification
systems. The most widely used is the scheme developed in 1928 by Vladimir Köppen,
a German climatologist + botanist.
- It’s based on average monthly temps, monthly & annual precipitation amounts, from
equator to the poles. It doesn’t consider winds, temp extremes, precipitation intensity,
quantity of sunshine or cloud cover; a generalization, it looks only at temp & precipitation
- The system’s feature is a symbolic, consisting of a combination of letters where each is a
different criterion in the classification scheme.
○ The first level/letter in the Köppen system are 6 major climatic regions:
1. The first letter represents the major climate group. That alone is too much of a
generalization, so each category is further divided into subcategories (with a 2nd or 3rd
letter) based on average temperature and precipitation. For example, the U.S./Gulf of
Mexico is classified as a Cfa climate type:
C = mild midlatitude
f = feucht (moist, in German)
a = average temperature of the warmest month is above 72F
* This gives us a good idea of the climate in this region: a mild climate w/ no dry season & a
hot summer.
- Classifying climate/regionalizing anything creates shortcomings, one in classifying
climate is loss of detail. The key to understanding classifying anything is generalization,
we have to ignore the small differences between places in order to see the big picture &
details about climates in a location
- The climate in Whittier CA, is different from the climate right along the coast. Both
places are classified as Mediterranean climate b/c their general characteristics are
similar (in terms of precipitation). When looking at temperature, both places are warm,
have mild winters & summers. It may get warmer in the summer & colder in the winter
the farther inland you go from the coast, but you have to generalize to classify
climate. When looking at rainfall, both locations receive most or all of the rain in the
winter & similar amounts
- The 2nd shortcoming in classifying climate are the boundaries between climate
regions. Consider these boundaries as zones of transition & not a definite line, climate
types DON’T suddenly change at the boundaries. Since Köppen was also a botanist, he
looked not only at temp & precipitation in different areas, but also at vegetation. He used
the vegetation to help define his boundaries. You'll notice several of his climate types are
named after vegetation types
Climograph
- A climograph is one of the key tools used in climate study & a common technique for
displaying climatic data in graphic form. In a single chart, the climatic regime of location
can be summarized. St. Louis is the meeting ground for continental polar (cP) &
maritime tropical (mT) air masses, especially in the winter. This creates the winter
frontal precipitation, during the summer, it’s warm enough for convective precipitation,
due to its lower midlatitude & interior (continental) location. This is also why it has a
large annual temperature range (continentality).
- The average monthly precipitation data are totals for each month which are again
averaged for as many years as that data has been collected. Understand that temps do
get warmer & colder than indicated on the climographs b/c these are daily averages,
there are cold spell & heat wave periods as well. There are also drought periods &
periods of excessive precipitation, too. But, the climographs show climate: averages in
the weather conditions, not the weather (the day-to-day state of the atmosphere).
