“Climates”

by Caleb, KE0FOE

As we continue with our series covering JetStream, The National Weather Service’s new Online School for Weather, the topic this time is: Global Weather – specifically, Climates.

Climate is the average of weather conditions in a given area over a long period of time. The world’s climates are divided into 6 major categories. The first 5 categories are based upon general temperature averages as they relate to latitude. The sixth category, called “Highlands,” involves climates in mountainous terrain where steep elevation changes can cause rapid climatic variations over short distances.

From the six major climate categories, a total of 25 subcategories exist throughout the world. These smaller groups are based on precipitation and temperature patterns in specific areas.
Throughout the 50 United States, we can find all 6 major climate categories. Here in the Continental U.S., 5 of the 6 major climate categories can be found.

The traditional span of averages to determine the climate for a particular location is 30 years. Normal temperatures and precipitation are calculated every 10 years using records from the past 30 years. In 2021, we will have a new set of 30-year-normals calculated for our area using data from the period of 1991 through 2020.

There are a lot of amazing facts and projects about earth’s atmosphere that you and your family can discover on the National Weather Service’s new Online School for Weather called JetStream. Visit their website: weather.gov/jetstream