Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climates are characterized by hot, humid summers and cool to mild winters. Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. This a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" might seem a misnomer for the winter climate in the cooler areas within this climate category. Winter rainfall—and sometimes snowfall—is associated with large storm systems that the westerlies steer from west to east. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms and an occasional tropical storm or hurricane. Humid subtropical climates lie on the southeast side of all continents except Antartica, roughly between 24 degrees and 37 degrees latitude. The main temperature range in this climate, considering normal annual extremes, is 10° F to 110 °F (-12°C to 43°C), though this range may greatly depending on the exact location.

Humid subtropical climates in Asia

Humid subtropical climates are found on the east-central coast of China, generally between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, as well as Southern South Korea and lowland Japan. However, the distinction is difficult to make in Japan, whose temperatures can either be considered subtropical or humid continental, escpicially in the south and depending on elevation.

Humid subtropical climates in South America

In South America, this climate type exists primarily in the Pampas of Argentina and Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brasil (the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul).

Humid subtropical climates in Africa

In Africa, this climate type is found only on the extreme southeast cost in South Africa including Durban and extends northward into extreme southern Mozambique.

Humid subtropical climates in Australia

In Australia, a small costal zone in northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast region of southeastern Queensland, but north of Brisbane, Australia the climate zone is considered tropical.

Humid subtropical climates in North America

In North America, humid subtropical climates are almost exclusively the domain of the American South, including part or most of eastern Texas, Louisiana, most of Arkansas, Mississippi, much of Tennessee, much of Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, most of Florida and Virginia, except for upland regions. It also exists in low lying or urban areas, in some cases extending just south of 40N in Delaware, extreme south-western West Virginia, eastern portions of Maryland, southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Urban Area). Most of the land area both in the lower lying rural and upland Appalachian Mountains in the latter mentioned states have a humid continental climate, such as Charleston, WV and Roanoke, VA), due to the higher elevation and colder overall temperatures (especially in the winter).

Major cities in this climate zone include Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Nashville, Greenville, SC, Charlotte, Raleigh, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Little Rock. Cities on the northern periphery of this zone include Louisville, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia (the furtherst north), Wilmington, DE and Oklahoma City. Some of these cities, such as Tampa, are of a warmer variety, and others, such as Washington, DC, are of a colder variety.

Humid subtropical climates in Europe

The Cfa climate can be found in an area going from the Po valley in Northern Italy and southeast through Slovenia and Croatia. Summer rainfall is here considerably larger than in the mediterranean climates found around the Mediterranean Sea, and winter temperatures hover just above freezing.

Characteristics and variants

The southernmost limits of this climate are around Miami and southern coastal Texas, and areas further south have a true tropical climate with a very warm weather year round and minimal temperature differences between seasons. The northernmost limits of the humid subtropical climate are around Philadelphia, southwest to Washington, DC and the edge of the Blue Ridge west to Louisville, Kentucky then roughly along the Ohio River through Paducah, Kentucky to south of Springfield, Missouri. Areas further north, inland, or higher in elevation which have a humid continental climate with colder winters.

Snowfall varies greatly in this climate zone. In areas around Florida and the Gulf Coast, snowfall is very rare and it occurs a few times per generation at the most melting very quickly. In southern cities farther north, such as Atlanta, Little Rock, Nashville, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Norfolk, snowfall is sporadic, but occasional light snow is not unusual. Into the northern limits of this climate zone, in cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Louisville, snow is more common and it occurs every year, usually on many occasions during a severe winter. Significant winter storms are more common in those locations, sometimes dumping more than a foot of snow.

Precipitation is plentiful in the humid subtropical climate zone. Although most areas tend to have precipitation spread evenly throughout the year, a somewhat monsoon-like pattern is seen in parts of the Southeast (in locales such as Augusta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina), which experience an extremely dry (by humid subtropical standards) and warm spring, followed immediately by a long, hot, wet and humid summer. In addition, areas in Texas that are slightly inland from the Gulf of Mexico, such as Austin, generally see a peak of precipitation in the spring, and a deep, drought-like nadir in mid-summer.

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