HOW TO COMMENT A CLIMATE GRAPH?

a) HEMISPHERE
If the hottest temperatures occur between June and September, it is in the northern hemisphere.
If the hottest temperatures occur between December and February, it is in the northern hemisphere.
If the line of the temperatures is horizontal, it is near the equator.
Example: This climate is in the (Northern / Southern) hemisphere because the hottest temperature
occurs in (July / January), summer in the (Northern / Southern) hemisphere.

b) TEMPERATURES
· Calculate the average annual temperature  you have to add the average monthly temperature of every
month and divide it by 12. It indicates us the climate zone: if it is more than 20ºC, it is a hot climate. If it is
between 5ºC and 20ºC, it is a temperate climate. If the average annual temperature is less than 5ºC, it is a
cold climate.
Example: The average annual temperature is 16ºC, so this climate is located in the temperate zone.

· Calculate the thermal amplitude (it is the difference between the warmest month and the coldest one). It
tells us if the place is close to the sea. If the difference is high, the climate has seasons. If it has low
thermal amplitude, the climate doesn’t have seasons. You have to explain what the seasons are like and
indicate the coldest and warmest months. Winters can be cold or mild; summers can be hot or fresh. The
climate can have different seasons or not.
Examples: The thermal amplitude is 3ºC, it means that this climate doesn’t have seasons, it is
always hot.
The thermal amplitude is 16ºC, it means that this climate has different seasons. Winters are
mild (the coldest month is January with 11ºC) and summers are very hot (the hottest month is July
with 27ºC).

c) PRECIPITATION
- Calculate the annual precipitation. You have to add all the average monthly precipitation. It tells us if
the climate is very dry (less than 250 mm per year), dry (between 250 and 500 mm), semi-wet (between
500 and 1000 mm) or wet (more than 1000 mm.). You have to indicate which months are the driest and
the rainiest and if there is drought (when the precipitation bar is under the temperature line).
Examples: The annual precipitation is 120 mm, so it is a dry climate. There is drought between
March and September. The driest month is August with only 3 mm, and the rainiest month is
October with 45mm.
The annual precipitation is 2190 mm, so it is wet climate. There is no drought in any month, the
rainiest month is June with 189 mm and the driest one is January with 123 mm.

d) CLIMATE
With all this information you have to know what climate it is. You have to explain its principal features:
location, rivers, vegetation and animals.