Climate and Weather Conditions

Climate is the average weather of a particular place over a large period of time (approximately 30 years or more). Earth is a very diverse climate with 7 continents and 195 countries, all these countries have their own climate, they may be similar to each other to some extent but it is not necessary for them to resemble each other’s climate even if they are located together geographically. The regions that are closer to the equator are generally hot because of direct sunlight that falls on them overhead. Similarly, the north and south poles are extremely cold due to the least direct sunlight. 

Now when talking about climates, Earth has mainly five types of climates:

  • Polar: As the name suggests, these regions are found near to poles and are extremely cold. These regions mainly consist of floating and pack ice. In winters, the temperature can go as low as -50oC and the average summer temperature is also near10oC.
  • Continental: The regions with continental climates experience warm to cool summers along with very cold winters. Winter here comes with snowstorms, and strong winds, the winter temperature can go as low as -30oC.
  • Temperate: Regions with temperate climates experience humid and warm summers along with some thunderstorms. These regions have mild winters.
  • Dry: These climate zones are called dry because of the lack of moisture in these places. This lack is due to rapid evaporation of moisture from the air and very little precipitation. All desert regions experience this climate. 
  • Tropical: Regions with tropical climates are very hot and humid. The average temperature is always greater than 18oC. These regions also experience a good amount of precipitation with almost 59 inches of it every year.

Different types of climates are now subjected to climate change due to some natural and some man-ad factors. Evolution has changed Earth’s initial climate condition and human exploitation of natural resources has caused depletion of normal weather conditions. Pollution, greenhouse gases, global warming, melting of glaciers have a big influence in determining the climates of each region. Thus these factors lead to some severe weather conditions which sometimes also turn into natural disasters.

Here, we are going to discuss severe weather conditions and some natural disasters

  • Storms: Storms are disturbed states of the environment that flow at a high speed. It can be a hailstorm, snowstorm, rainstorm, ice storm, or windstorm. These storms have different ranges, some can be harmless but some can cause serious property and liver damage.
  • Thunderstorm: Also called lightning storm or electrical storm. It consists of lightning and thunder. This phenomenon takes place in a special type of cloud called cumulonimbus. Strong thunderstorms can lead to tornadoes.
  • Wildfire: also called forest fire or bush fire is an unwanted and uncontrolled fire in the area of some type of vegetation in rural or urban areas. These fires result in the destruction of large numbers of flora and fauna. Wildfires are a common natural disaster in areas such as Siberia, Australia and California. The bushfires of 2020 in Australia were very extreme leading to the clearing of large forest areas and the loss of massive amounts of flora and fauna.
  • Flood: Flood is the uncontrolled movement of water bodies (river, lake or ocean) that submerges the dry land. It can be caused by the melting of glaciers, huge precipitation or snowmelt. Floods are known to cause huge loss of life and property.
  • Landslide: It is a type of mass wasting that occurs due to movement in the ground, mudflows, rock falling or debris flow. They occur mainly in steep or gentle slopes in the mountain ranges or even underwater. Gravity is the driving force of landslides. 
  • Cyclone: It is a type of storm consisting of rapidly moving air with a low-pressure centre. The spiral comes with thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rain. It is known by different names in different regions such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclonic storms. 
  • Avalanche: An avalanche is a phenomenon of the rapid flow of snow from a slope (mountain or a hill). Large avalanches are capable of destroying ice, trees or even rocks. 
  • Drought: It is an event of a shortage of water and moisture for a long period of time in an area. A drought can be declared after 15 days and can sustain for years. It disturbs the agriculture and ecosystem of the region. Due to climate change, droughts have become extreme with high heat waves and are unpredictable.

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