Humid Continental Climate

humid continental climate, major climate type of the Köppen classification that exhibits large seasonal temperature contrasts with hot summers and cold winters. It is found between 30° and 60° N in central and eastern North America and Asia in the major zone of conflict between polar and tropical air masses. Along with the continental subarctic climate, the humid continental climate is a primarily Northern Hemispheric phenomena, since landmasses are absent at the significant latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Köppen-Geiger-Pohl system, this climate is divided into the Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, and Dwb subtypes.

Köppen climate classification map

Precipitation tends to be ample throughout the year in the Df section, being derived both from frontal cyclones and, in summer months, from convectional showers when maritime tropical air pushes northward behind the retreating polar front. Many areas show a distinct summer precipitation maximum because of this convective activity, although more uniform patterns are not uncommon. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are an early summer occurrence when the polar front is in the southern margin of the Dfa region. Winter precipitation often occurs in the form of snow, and a continuous snow cover is established for from one to four months in many parts of the region, especially in the north. This snow often arrives in conjunction with high winds from an intense frontal cyclone, giving rise to a blizzard.

Winters tend to be cold but are subject to occasional frigid or mild spells brought about by periodic incursions of arctic or tropical air. Indeed the changeable nature of weather in all seasons is a characteristic feature of the climate, especially in such areas as the eastern United States and Canada where there are few topographic barriers to limit the exchange of air masses between high and low latitudes. Mean temperatures are typically below freezing from one to several months, and the frost-free season varies from fewer than 150 to 200 days per year. Annual precipitation totals range from 50 to 125 cm (about 20 to 50 inches), with higher amounts in the south of the region and in the uplands.

In eastern Asia (Manchuria and Korea), a monsoonal variant of the humid continental climate (Dwa, Dwb) occurs. This climate type has a pronounced summer precipitation maximum and a cold, dry winter dominated by continental polar air diverging out of the nearby Siberian anticyclone.