Cool Temperate Climates

Cool Temperate Climate, Western Margin (British Type):

Location

• Found on the western coasts of continents between 45° and 60° latitude in both hemispheresA hemisphere is half the Earth's surface. The four hemispheres are the Northern and Southern hemispheres, divided by the equator (0° latitude), and the Eastern and Western hemispheres, divided by the... More. (45 – 60 degrees North and 45 – 60 degrees South from the EquatorThe Equator is Zero degrees (0°) latitude. The Sun is directly overhead the equator at noon on the two equinoxes (March and Sept. 20 or 21). The equator divides the globe... More)

Areas:

• British Isles (UK, Ireland)
• France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway
• Southern Scandinavia
• British Columbia and coastal Washington (USA)
• Coastal southern Chile

Climatic Characteristics:

• Summers: Warm (13°C to 17°C)
• Winters: Mildly cold (4°C to 8°C) due to the influence of warm ocean currents (North Atlantic Drift, North Pacific Drift)
• Annual temperature range: About 8°C to 13°C
• Rainfall: 600–800 mm annually (up to 2,000 mm in mountainous areas due to orographic effect)
• Winds: Prevailing westerlies all year; strongest and most frequent in winter
• Weather systems: Frequent changes due to cyclonic depressions and anticyclones moving in from the west
• Rainfall type: Cyclonic and geographic

Natural Vegetation:

• Here, there are deciduous trees which shed their leaves in the cold season.
• There is also a presence of temperate hardwood trees such as oak, elm, ash, birch, beech, chestnut