Asia stretches about 5,000 miles from north of the Arctic Circle to south of the equator. From east to west Asia stretches nearly halfway around the world. This vast area has many different kinds of climate. Asia has some of the coldest and some of the hottest, some of the wettest and some of the driest places on earth.
Climate and Weather of Asia
Asia has a wide variety of biomes and climates, from the highest coldest mountain peaks in the Himalayas to the deserts of the Middle East.
The great interior lands of Asia are far from the ocean. Winds from the oceans are cut off by the high mountain chains which surround the interior. Because of this, the climate of central Asia is one of extremes. Winters are long and cold, chilled by cold winds from the polar regions. Summers everywhere but the highlands are short and hot. Except in the mountains, there is little rainfall. Consequently, much of the region is desert.
Northern Asia has much the same sort of climate as central Asia, except that is has more rainfall. Winters are extremely cold-the coldest inhabited place in the world is a village in Siberia called Verkhoyansk. The temperature there sometimes drops to 90 degrees below zero.
Central and Northern Asia Climate
In southern Asia the climate is quite different. It is hot here all year round, except in the mountains. The temperature in the lowlands may reach as high as 125 degrees. There are no summer and winter as we know them. Instead, there is a rainy season and a dry season.
The rainy season usually lasts from June through October. During that period it rains heavily everyday. More rain falls in this part of the Asia than in any other place in the world. Some areas in India get more than 450 inches of rainfall during the rainy season.
The rainy and dry seasons are caused by winds called monsoons, which blow from central Asia toward the southern and eastern edges of the continent. Winter monsoons are dry winds because they blow over dry land. They are cold because they come from a cold region. The summer monsoons blow inland from the oceans, bringing moisture as far inland as they reach.
Southeast Asia and Monsoons
Asia summers vary with location and altitude. Areas along the coast and just inland are susceptible to typhoons, which bring heavy rain and strong winds.
The hurricane tracks in the Atlantic are very similar to the typhoon tracks in the South Pacific
Asia Summers and Typhoons
Winters in Asia vary from cool to extremely cold with the exception of the southern areas. The interior areas are dry, while the coastal areas are humid.
Asia Winter Weather Patterns
LinksLinks
Southeast Asian Rainforests
Northeast Asian Deciduous Forests
Himalayan Alpine Range
Japan Meteorological Agency
China Meteorological Administration
India Meteorological Department
Brunei Meteorological Service
Indonesia Meteorological and Geophysical Agency
Islamic Republic Of Iran Meteorological Organization Israel Meteorological Service
Korea Meteorological Administration
Malaysian Meteorological Service
Oman Meteorological Services
Pakistan Meteorological Department
Philippines: PAGASA
Saudi Arabia: MEPA
Meteorological Service Singapore
Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology
Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan Thai Meteorology Department
Mongolia Inst. of Meteorology and Hydrology
Bangladesh Department of Meteorology
Jordan Meteorological Department
Hydro meteorological Centre of Russia
Maldives Department of Meteorology
UAE Meteorology Department
Qatar Department of Meteorology
Laos Department of Meteorology
Myanmar Department of Meteorology
Nepal Dept. of Hydrology and Meteorology
Azerbaijan Hydro-meteorological Dept.
More information on Asian biomes
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