Climate of the Earth:
Arctic region and continental.

On this page I chose the weather forecast in some cities of the world.
It is climate continental or Arctic, and certain west cuts - is allow to show the effect of mountains (Canada) on climate.
The artic region has a cold climate during long months, but introduce however a interesting summer according to the place.

It seem appear that big coldness (temperature underneath - 40°C) requires:
1: hilly regions, to immobilize air on the ground. The big lowlands of central Siberia, Canada, or the flat expanses of ice of pole allow an easy circulation of polar air, therefore make easier a fall of the thermometre until -20°C to -30°C. But strangely, this easy circulation of air at -30°C seem to slow down the fall of the thermometre beyond the region of -35°C.
2: a protection against oceanic humidity. This can be distance (as the Siberia), or a mountain chain (as Yukon), or a raised of latitude degree (pole).
3: a sufficient degree of latitude, in general above 50 °. Indeed, at more low degree of latitude the sun seem to have enough force in winter to restrict the fall of the thermometre. It can also have the nearness of lower degree of latitude (30 ° in 35 ° for the south of the Gobi desert) which perhaps reach to move lukewarm air until 60° of latitude.

Last remark, I always use temperatures under shelters, that is temperature real of air. Television often uses temperatures re-calculated with the effect of the wind. This allows to acquire of astronomic figure, but which however moves away from another reality which is the temperature of air. It is true however that feeling of a temperatures of -30°C changes a lot depending on whether air is immobile or what there is the wind at 80km / h.

Alaska, Canada.

West coast - the East of rocky Canadian at 50 ° of latitude.

We are at the same degree of latitude as Paris or London. Victoria and Vancouver will have therefore a similar climate, but presence of rocky show a quick continentalisation of climate. Strangely, the valleys of the rocky seem more tempered than the east lowland. Is there a presence of softer oceanic air in altitude which would allow the rocky valleys to be tempering a bit? Would the low temperatures of the lowland of North America be to a regular thermal reversal (cold air only on the ground and at low altitude)?

Victoria
(Pacific oscean,
Col.Brit.,
48.5°N, 123°O)

Vancouver
(Pacific coast,
Col.Brit.,
49°N, 123°O)

Hope
(Mountain, 39m,
Col.Brit.,
49°N, 121°O)

Kamloops
(Mountain, 345m,
Col.Brit.,
51°N, 120°O)

Revelstoke
(Mountain, 443m,
Col.Brit.,
51°N, 118°O)

Calgary
(Lowland, 1077m,
Col.Brit.,
51°N, 114°O)

Regina
(Lowland 577m,
Saskatchewan,
50°N, 106°O)

Winnipeg
(Lowland 239m,
Manitoba,
50°N, 97°O)

Chibougamau
(Lowland 388m,
Québec,
50°N, 74°O)

Sept-Iles
(Gulf St-Laurent,
Québec,
50°N, 66°O)

West Coast - the East of rocky Canadian at 58 ° of latitude.

The effect of the ocean is very clear in Juneau, and still a bit at Dease Lake which is in the middle of the rocky. More on East, we are in regions slightly populated of the north-Canada, where polar effect is much more present.

Juneau
(Pacifi coast,
Alaska,
58°N, 1345°O)

Dease Lake
(Mountain 816m,
Col.Brit.,
58°N, 130°O)

Fort Nelson
(Lowland 382m,
Alberta,
59°N, 122°O)

FortChipewyan
(Lowland 232m,
Alberta,
59°N, 111°O)

Churchill
(Hudson Bay,
Manitoba,
59°N, 94°O)

Inukjuak
(Hudson Bay,
Québec,
59°N, 78°O)

Kuujjuaq
(Hudson detroit,
Québec,
59°N, 68°O)

Nain
(Labrador sea,
Terre-Neuve,
57°N, 62°O)

West Coast - the East in the middle of Alaska and in Canada at 64° of latitude.

Nome and Fairbanks is under two very powerful influence. On one hand the presence of the Pacific which can easily bring humid and tempered air on the west or southwest of the Alaska, and on the other hand the presence close to Arctic climate where reservations air at - 35°C are at 500km. It is a situation which we don't know in Europe. The example of this phénomenon is for instance January 2002. Temperatures are crossed from 2°C to - 42°C in 8 days!
More on East, we are in Arctic Canadian with the cities of Dawson and Baker Lake. Located on the continent, summers are everything correct, although a bit short, where temperatures don't exceed 25°C. Then we finish in the area of Greenland, where summers are more cool because of the sea.
Dawson has a particuliar situation. It is encircled with mountain (about 2000m on atlases), who allow a local emphasis of continental climate. This give temperature of -50°C under shelters every winter, then it rise until +30°C (see 34°C) in summer. They hound Iakoutie so from too close distance!

Nome
(Bering sea,
Alaska,
64°N, 165°O)

Fairbanks
(Lowland 132m,
Alaska,
65°N, 148°O)

Dawson
(Mountain 370m,
Yukon,
64°M, 140°O)

Norman Wells
(Coline 74m,
Terr.du N-O,
65°N, 127°O)

Baker Lake
(Lowland 18m,
Nunavut,
64°M, 96°O)

Coral Harbour
(Lowland 18m,
Nunavut,
64°M, 96°O)

Iqualuit

(Terre of Baffin,

Nunavut,
64°M, 68°O)

Godthaab
(côte ouest,
Groenland,
64°M, 52°O)

Arctic Canadian, from the west eastward, above 68°N.

Barrow and Inuvik still know a bit influence of the Pacific of the Alaska, that cause some small softening in winter. More on east at Cambridge Bay until Resolute we are in the center of Arctic climate with - 30°C all winter and rather cool summers with a maxi of 10°C because of the coolness of the sea.
The coasts of Greenland (Qaanaaq or Thule until Danmarkshavn) are a little more tempered favour to the presence of the Atlantic. Summers are a little bit better because 15°C is regularly exceeded in the south half of Greenland.
Kangerlussaq is located in the bottom of a Greenland fiord. Climate is one more continental, with some -30°C more frequent in winter, and 20°C regulary exceeded in summer.

Barrow
(Artic coast,
Alaska,
71°N, 156°O)

Inuvik
(Artic coast,
Alaska,
68°N, 134°O)

Cambridge Bay
(island, Nunavut,
69°N, 105°O)

Resolute
(island, Nunavut,
74°N, 95°O)

Qaanaaq
(Baffin bay,
Groenland,
77°N, 70°O)

Upernavik
(Ouest coast,
Groenland,
71°N, 53°O)

Kangerlussuaq
(fjord, west,
Groenland,
67°N, 51°O)

Scorebysund
(East Coast,
Groenland,
70°N, 22°O)

Danmarkshavn
(East Coast,
Groenland,
77°N, 18°O)

Siberia.

We say Arctic cold with some -40°C all winter long, and definitely it is not the case everywhere. New Zemble is an island very in length located between 71 ° and 76 ° north of latitude. It is it which stops stream gulf, so the sea is practically liquid always on the west, while East are under ice floe a good party of the year. And whatever the Area and season, a liquid sea limit temperatures at about -10°C. It is very distinctly going to influence climate until 100° of longitude East.

I often speak of temperatures of 30°C a bit everywhere in Siberia. However they can, by northerly wind, very quickly fall again to 10°C some days. Nonetheless, temperature remains always positive in summer, even early in the morning.

Russian Arctic.

We say Arctic cold with some -40°C all winter long, and definitely it is not the case everywhere. The cities of Archangelsk until Dudinka (cities located on the continent, near the north coasts) accept the softness influence of Atlantic and gulf-stream, and in winter -30°C are not very frequent. Dudinka is on the verge of this zone of influence, and begins being entirely in Arctic climate.
Things serious starts more or less at the height of Hatanga. All these cities being located on the coasts of the Arctic, temperatures in winter don't goes down more than -35°C, and summers are very going to be cool because of water.

Archangelsk
(White sea,
65°N, 41°E)

Narjan-Mar
(Barents sea,
68°N, 53°E)

Amderma
(arct. coast,
70°N, 62°E)

Dudinka
(Lowland,
69°N, 86°E)

Hatanga
(Lowland,
72°N, 102°E)

Tiksi
(Artic coast,
72°N, 129°E)

Cherskij
(Lowland,
69°N, 162°E)

Anadyr
(Bering detroit,
65°N, 178°E)

Siberia, 68°N.

In a similar manner in the previous paragraph, Igarka know winters more tempered than other cities because has the influence of stream gulf.
Located on the continent and at more of 100km from the Arctic ocean, summers are going to become all at once hotter. 25°C is regularly attained. And it is besides what characterizes all these regions at high degree of latitude: if they are a bit to protect from oceanic influence (100km in 500km in lowland) temperatures level become close to that one we know in Europe in summer!

Verhojansk and Ojmjakon are two particular cities. Having protected by small mountains (2000m about), they are in the most cold region of the north hèmisphère in winter. -50°C become very regular during 2 months by years, what is something restricted and rare in our hemisphere. Then in summer, 32°C is practically attained every year. Strange climate, isn't it?

Igarka
(Lowland,
67°N, 86°E)

Olenek
(Coline,
68°N, 112°E)

Verhojansk
(Mountain,
68°N, 134°E)

Zyrjanka
(Lowland,
66°N, 151°E)

Siberia, 63°N.

They can apply the same comments as before: influence of gulf stream until 100° of degree of longitude what is, that give at Surgut a climate more tempered in winter.
Tura is located in a region of low mountain, what accentuates continental climate just like that. In winter temperatures are between -50°C and -20°C, and frequent warmness are due to Atlantic influence via the gulf stream until New-Zemble. Tura know tops at +30°C in summer as any continental region.
From Njurba to Sejmchan, we cross all Iakoutie with -40°C in winter and 25 / 30°C in summer.

Ojmjakon is the equal of Verhojansk, and all comment said for Verhojansk is valid for Ojmjakon.

Surgut
(Lowland,
61°N, 73°E)

Tura
(Coline,
64°N, 100°E)

Njurba
(Lowland,
63°N, 120°E)

Jakutsk
(Lowland,
62°N, 130°E)

Ojmjakon
(Mountain,
63°N, 143°E)

Sejmchan
(Mountain,
63°N, 152°E)

Siberia, 52~56°N.

We arrive in the south of the Siberia here. The sun begins more effective: in winter temperatures go down not so easily, and summers become longer.
On the West (from Omsk to Krasnojarsk) winters are more tempered, and temperatures seldomly go down underneath -20°C. More on East (Cita) the influence of the south replace the influence of gulf stream, what gives variations of temperatures between -40°C and 0°C in winter. In summers 35°C are attained almost everywhere every year, except close to the Pacific at Nikolaevsk.

Omsk
(Lowland,
55°N, 74°E)

Novosibirsk
(Lowland,
55°N, 83°E)

Krasnojarsk
(Coline,
56°N, 93°E)

Bratsk
(Coline,
56°N, 96°E)

Irkutsk
(Baïkal lake,
52°N, 104°E)

Cita
(Mountain,
52°N, 113°E)

Tynda
(Mountain,
55°N, 124°E)

Nikolaevsk
(coast, Okhotsk sea,
53°N, 140°E)

Created : 30 décembre 2004.
Last update : 16 June 2007.

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Climate of the Earth: Arctic region and continental.