Continental Climate Facts: Details On Climate Revealed For Kids!

Continental climate is characterized by a significant variation in weather conditions, most prominently experienced by the inland regions residing away from the various water bodies.

Countries or regions experiencing continental climate often go through colder winters with significant snowfall to warm summers that can get extremely hot at times, even resembling tropical climates in a few instances. Mid-latitude regions experience such extremes in a prolonged gap of time, and the unexpected fluctuations are all due to winds prevailing from lands.

Continental climate is a general term describing the various phases of continental climate experienced by relevant regions. These include the temperature extremes of cold winters of any snowy city to the equally hot summer days experienced, along with little precipitation here and there. 

Continental climates are said to be in areas with large landmasses, prominently in the Northern hemisphere, as such regions have temperate latitude eligible to experience these kinds of climates. The most common feature of a continental climate is its large temperature range. Let's find out more about this climate type and the various regions it captures under its shell!

What is continental climate?

Continental climate is one of the five major types of climate experienced by various regions on planet Earth. They mostly occur in regions covering broader landmasses and are affected by the prevailing winds from the land.

The annual climate contrast is wide as regions experiencing continental climate get dry winters full of cold air masses and dry summers full of tropical air.

In between, moderate precipitation is also observed during the warmer months. The humid continental climate is usually experienced by central and northeastern parts of North America. In contrast, regions farthest from water bodies experience a dry winter and a dry summer due to the absence of water bodies.

Continental climate is often characterized by distinct summer precipitation in the form of rains and thunderstorms; on the other hand, annual precipitation in winters is imposed by precipitation through snowfall. Climate during spring and autumn depends on the latitude and elevation of that region.

Continental climates bring a broad spectrum of climate, with the Köppen classification distinguishing various continental climates into different sub-categories using different zones. The humid continental climate is one such sub-category of continental climates.

Characteristics Of Continental Climate

Continental climates are majorly characterized by the substantial contrasting weather conditions throughout the year. Other features such as regional flora and fauna also play a key role in identifying continental climate behavior.

Cold winters with a significant quantity of snowfall are recorded during the cold winter season, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere's vicinity to coastal regions makes it ineligible to experience continental climates.

Humid continental climates are found under regions within 40° and 60° north latitude, denoted by warm summers. A region experiencing continental climates has a deciduous type of flora with plants such as birches, maples, and conifers.

Subarctic climate experiencing-Northern Hemisphere regions have conifer trees. When you compare the extremes of continental climate-experiencing regions, you'll notice that the humid continental climates have warm to hot summers and not too cold winters. In contrast, sub-arctic regions have cool and short summers and a long season full of chilly, dry winters.

Animals most prominently found in the continental climate are adaptable to change as widely as the climate itself. These versatile species include squirrels, prairie dogs, raccoons, and skunks.

The hotter, humid continental climate-experiencing continental region has small mammals. The subarctic region of continental climates has animals such as grizzly bears, elk, musk oxen, mountain goats, and other animals capable of keeping up with the harsh weather.

Climate keeps changing in different places due to uneven distribution of sunlight, land surface, presence of water bodies, and changing atmosphere. Continental climate is susceptible to all such changes.

Places Where Continental Climate Is Found

Continental type of climate covers a significant region of Europe, Asia, and North America. Let's look at a few such places experiencing humid continental and cold subarctic winters.

Throughout most of the southern parts of Canada, North America, from the rocky mountains to Atlantic Canada and tall-grass prairies, the continental climate is experienced, cold enough to encourage ice skaters. The United States cities in farther south and the ones located in northern states are all experiencing continental climates, such as California and New York City.

European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Ukraine, and Poland are a few of the many places that experience the coldest month.

Asian countries such as Japan, China, Kazakhstan, and a few regions in India experience continental climates full of winter dryness and warm summers.

A few places located in South America also experience continental climates, including Argentina and Chile.

Types Of Continental Climate

Continental climates are further divided into three different types of climate, namely warm summer (humid continental climate), cool summer, and subarctic.

Warm summers or the humid continental climate is characterized by warm and humid summers. For example, eastern European areas experience it widely.

Cool summer regions experience chilly winds and low temperatures. People living in the area must be well-accustomed to the harsh nature of the weather and practice healthy habits to survive.

The subarctic region mostly dominates the northern parts of the world with cool summers and chilly nights. Region experiencing continental climate observe little to no precipitation. Some of these climate experiencing places are the northern parts of Scandinavia and Siberia.

These are different types of continental climates experienced by varying regions throughout the world. Each of these experiences varying flora and fauna, living conditions, and different land surfaces. The subtypes of the climate are further divided to offer clarity.