Humid Subtropical Climate Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Humid subtropical climates are located in the lower mid-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. These climates typically have long humid summers and short, relatively mild winters. During the summer, humid subtropical climates are influenced by neighboring tropical zones and warm oceans. In humid subtropical climate zones, the subtropical jet stream is present in the summer, often bringing abundant moisture and thunderstorms. During the winter, humid subtropical climates are influenced by weather systems originating in tropical or continental climate zones. Occasionally, weather systems from subarctic regions can penetrate into subtropical regions, bringing severe cold lasting 2-3 days. The mid-latitude jet stream frequently moves over humid-subtropical climate regions in the winter, bringing mid-latitude storms and highly variable day-to-day weather.

Humid subtropical climates have shorter annual temperature ranges than those found in continental climates; however, these climates do have distinct seasons defined by temperature and, occasionally, precipitation. In cooler, humid subtropical locations, temperatures below freezing occur frequently in the winter, but in locations closer to the equator, temperatures below freezing may not occur every year. For example, winter nighttime and daytime temperature averages in Memphis, Tennessee are 0 and 10 degrees C (32 and 50 degrees F), respectively. In warmer humid subtropical locations such as Hong Kong, China winter nighttime and daytime temperature averages are 14 and 19 degrees C (57 and 66 degrees F), and temperatures below freezing are rare. Summer temperatures in humid subtropical climates are warm-to-hot with high humidity. Summer nighttime and daytime temperature averages in Brisbane, Australia are 22 and 29 degrees C (72 and 84 degrees F) and in Dallas, Texas, they are 23 and 36 degrees C (73 and 97 degrees F).

Precipitation in humid subtropical climates is typically high due to the proximity of warm oceans and tropical influences; however, droughts do occasionally occur. There is typically between 900-2000 millimeters (35-79 inches) of precipitation annually in humid subtropical locations. Precipitation also defines seasons in these locations, where a monsoon season is a significant climate feature. The seasonality of precipitation is present in the humid subtropical locations of south and east Asia. In New Delhi, India, October through May, on average, receives only 140 millimeters (5.5 inches) of precipitation, while June through September receives about 660 millimeters (26 inches), or 80 percent of the annual precipitation. Due to this variability of precipitation, both droughts and flooding can occur in humid subtropical climates. Coastal locations of humid subtropical climates are often impacted by tropical cyclones and hurricanes. The temperature and precipitation in humid subtropical climates support a mix of evergreen and deciduous forests or subtropical mixed forest and grassland in drier regions. Humid subtropical climates are located in the southeastern United States, southern Brazil, and northeastern Argentina. In Asia, humid subtropical climates are located in central India, southeastern China, and southern Japan. There are also locations with humid subtropical climates in eastern South Africa, and northeastern Australia. Major cities located in subtropical climates include Houston, Atlanta, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Bibliography:

Aguado and J.E. Burt, Understanding Weather and Climate (Prentice Hall, 1999);
G. Barry and R.J. Chorley, Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate (Routledge, 2003).