Tundra Climate

tundra climate, major climate type of the Köppen classification characterized by sub-freezing mean annual temperatures, large annual temperature ranges (but not as large as in the adjacent continental subarctic climate), and moderately low precipitation. The tundra climate region occurs between 60° and 75° of latitude, mostly along the Arctic coast of North America and Eurasia and on the coastal margins of Greenland. It is abbreviated ET in the Köppen-Geiger-Pohl system.

Köppen climate classification map

In areas dominated by the tundra climate type, winters are long and cold (temperatures may be below 0 °C [32 °F] for 6 to 10 months), especially in the region north of the Arctic Circle where, for at least one day in the year, the Sun does not rise. Winter precipitation generally consists of dry snow, with seasonal totals less than in the summer when cyclonic storms that develop along the boundary between the open ocean and sea ice yield rainfall. Typical annual totals are less than 35 cm (about 14 inches), but a range from 25 to 100 cm (10 to 39 inches) is possible, with higher totals in upland areas. In contrast, summers are generally mild, with daily maxima from 15 to 18 °C (59 °F to 64 °F), although the mean temperature of the warmest month is less than 10 °C (50 °F). Days are long (a result of the high latitude), but they are often cloudy. The snow cover of winter melts in the warmer season (though in places with mean annual temperatures of −9 °C [16 °F] or less the ground at depth remains permanently frozen as permafrost); however, frosts and snow are possible in any month.