More Subtropics Winter Clouds! This is a Fast Forward Timeline Time Lapse Video of Belo Horizonte climate... Belo Horizonte's latitude at 19'55"South places it in the tropical zone but its climate is more subtropical because of its altitude. Yearly temperatures average between 9 and 35 °C (48 and 95 °F). The Köppen climate classification of the region is tropical savanna climate (Aw) and it borders on a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), (tropical on high altitudes, humid/warm summer and a dry/cool winter). As a city located in the southern Hemisphere, Belo Horizonte's spring starts in September, its summer in December, its autumn in March, and its winter in June. Belo Horizonte is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) distant from the sea. Brazil has an incredibly diverse climate. This is due to its massive size, along with other factors such as temperature, altitude, barometric pressure and proximity to the ocean. It's got conditions suitable for everyone! It has a predominantly tropical climate; 92% of the country is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn. It also has equatorial and subtropical strips (temperate zones) distributed over the remaining 8% of the country. The seasons in Brazil (excluding the north) are the exact opposite of those in Europe and the USA. In the north the average annual temperature is around 28ºC. In the south, it's a lot cooler in comparison; it stays around 20ºC. Extreme temperatures are rare but occasionally do happen. Sometimes we get frost and snow in the south and during mid summer, temperatures in Rio ca get up to a sizzzling 40ºC. In general, Brazil has an excellent climate. With average temperatures exceeding 20°C, it's the perfect year round destination. Due to its large size, the climate of South America varies with each region, determined by their own geographical location, ocean currents and winds. Keeping that in mind, its climate is as varied as you can get. Let's remember that South America is the world's fourth-largest continent, with an extension of 17,840,000 km², covering approximately 12% of the Earth's land. Climate is usually defined as the "average weather" over a period of time, usually a 30 years span, the average daily and seasonal weather for a region; including temperature, precipitation, wind, and sunshine. Weather averages for 30 years - often called "normals" - are much more reliable guides than the weather for the last year or few years. Since forecasts aren't possible for more than a week or so ahead, you need to rely on weather averages to find a pattern. The climate of South America has a distinct wet and dry season throughout, making overall generalizations not particularly useful. The Andean regions of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia share in common - from May to November - the driest and coldest time of the year. As you move away from the Equator and reach higher altitudes, temperature changes more dramatically, from below the freezing point in the dry season to around 28°C (82.4°F) or more in the wet season. Rain is spread more or less evenly thorughout the year, making the wet season not too wet after all, particularly if you compare it with the Amazon river basin, coastal parts of French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, the southwestern parts of Chile, Colombia and Ecuador coasts. The Amazon river basin has the typical hot and wet climate suitable for the growth of rain forests. There, climate turns hot and humid - with temperatures in the range of 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The less wet season in the jungle roughly corresponds to the dry season in the Andes mountains. Further down south, Chile and Argentina cover such a range of latitudes and elevations that make generalizations of not particuar use. They do, however, share some common weather patterns, like in Patagonia for instance, with temperatures below freezing during their winter months and incessant winds anytime of year. Buenos Aires weather can get unbearable hot and humid during summer, not the ideal time to visit if you can avoid it. In general terms, the climate of South America seems to be more benign and pleasant during shoulder seasons: autumn and spring. Antarctica can only be reached during summer months - Nov. to March - as the remainig part of the year the access route is blocked by ice. It has the strongest winds on the planet and the minimum annual rainfall. Two recurrent weather phenomenons affecting the climate of South America - and world's climate - are El Niño and La Niña. When winds slow, ocean circulation decreases and eastern Pacific surface temperatures warm, it's called El Niño or "warm event". Conversely, when strong winds appear, ocean circulation increases and eastern Pacific ocean temperatures cool, we are in front of La Niña, also known as "El Viejo" (anti-El Niño) or "cold event". Frederico Custodio Ribeiro

• published: 06 Jul 2014
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