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Clearly something needs to be done to distinguish the climate of D.C. from that of New Orleans and this seems like a reasonable attempt in that regard.
My big complaint about this system is that large parts of Florida seem to be classified as subhumid???
IIRC, "Subtropical" is largely based on plant growth, with few truly tropical plants able to survive in subtropical regions long enough to become well-established. Similar story for distinguishing "Subtropical" from "Humid Continental/Hot Summer".
Note well I'm talking only of the eastern side of a continental land mass in this post.
If you ask me, tropical climates are more objectively distinguisable by a distinctly wet summer/dry winter regime, combined with seasonal temperature variation too narrow to substantially affect the growth of the indigenous vegetation along year-round streams (riparian environments, by and large, can support vegetation in the dry season, especially along the largest rivers).
Further poleward, I have to say that the freezing point of water is the closest thing we have to an objective way to distinguish between subtropical and temperate, at least away from the west coast of continents.
Subarctic? I would say if the average yearly temperature is below freezing, then it is subarctic.
Polar? The tree line is somewhat fuzzy, but that's the best boundary I can think of for polar climates.
12F at the latitude of Hattiesburg (31N) is not just below zero (assuming you mean celcius). It is -11 below zero.
That's an average January night where I live in Canada, so I personally don't see it as being that cold, although someone from somewhere further south might, I suppose. Personally, I don't see why it's a big deal for a subtropical place to see temperatures like that once in a while. Where do you live? New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania area, right? Your winters are a lot milder than ours here, and your summers are much longer as well. I'll bet you're a lot colder than Hattiesburg, though, right?
That's an average January night where I live in Canada. Personally, I don't see why it's a big deal for a subtropical place to see temperatures like that once in a while. Where do you live? New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania area, right? Your winters are a lot milder than ours here, and your summers are much longer as well. I'll bet you're a lot colder than Hattiesburg, though, right?
Yes, (s)he lives in a locale on average much colder than Mississippi and even the I-95 corridor from Baltimore southward. I doubt the Adirondacks in NE New York are colder than southern Ontario, if using a strict, population-based defn of "southern".
That's an average January night where I live in Canada, so I personally don't see it as being that cold, although someone from somewhere further south might, I suppose. Personally, I don't see why it's a big deal for a subtropical place to see temperatures like that once in a while. Where do you live? New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania area, right? Your winters are a lot milder than ours here, and your summers are much longer as well. I'll bet you're a lot colder than Hattiesburg, though, right?
Our avg low in January is 25F, so even 12F is very low. Yes Hattiesburg, MS is warmer than here. The avg Jan high/low there is 59/37F. We average 2 days with a min temp of 10F or less each year, so 12F for us here is considered quite cold. 4 out of the last ten years didn't go below 12F.
I still maintain the US South has to be the only place on the planet where temps can get so cold so far south in latitude and at sea level. If Hattiesburg were in China they could grow oranges commercially, and I'll bet their winter extreme min temp would be higher.
Our avg low in January is 25F, so even 12F is very low. Yes Hattiesburg, MS is warmer than here. The avg Jan high/low there is 59/37F. We average 2 days with a min temp of 10F or less each year, so 12F for us here is considered quite cold. 4 out of the last ten years didn't go below 12F.
I still maintain the US South has to be the only place on the planet where temps can get so cold so far south in latitude and at sea level. If Hattiesburg were in China they could grow oranges commercially, and I'll bet their winter extreme min temp would be higher.
Apparently Shanghai, China is at about the same latitude, but it's record low is lower than that and it's winters are colder. Personally, I would still consider it to be subtropical, though. Personally, I wouldn't define subtropical as being warm year-round. That's a distinctly tropical characteristic, in my opinion.
I don't have much experience with the colder climates but for the tropical/semi-tropical/ and sub tropical climates I'll make some suggestions. the areas in the lower 48 that ppl argue r tropical go into the semi-tropical category. reason being is that not even key west is warm enough in winter for tropical plants to continue their growth, they must go dominant which is clearly something a true tropical climate wouldn't do. next is sub-topical is limited to USDA hardness zone 9+. areas subjected to colder temps than that go down as Warm temperate.
The Koppen definition of Humid Sub-Tropical is simply wrong, period. NYC or DC sub-tropical...NO WAY! The Koppen-Geiger system needs a complete over-haul.
Tropical means always summer (18c + every month). That being said it follows Sub-Tropical would mean no true winter or summer dominant, so 10c+ coolest or 18c+ mean (either).
On the cold side, Polar means always winter (-0c every month). It follows that sub-polar means no true summer or winter dominant, so less than 10c warmest or less than 0c mean (either).
The really challenging part is classifying the areas in-between these thermal extremes. And I think I've found a simple, accurate and elegant way. More to come.....
This doesn't take elevation into account, but it gives you an idea of what's not warm, what's subtropical, and what's more like tropical:
How is Death Valley under 'not warm'? LA is rather warm too...
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