Tropical rainforest climate

A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator, and has at least 60 millimetres (2.4 in) of rainfall every month of the year. Regions with this climate are typically designated Af by the Köppen climate classification. A tropical rainforest climate is typically hot, very humid, and wet.

Worldwide zones of Tropical rainforest climate (Af).

Description

Tropical rain forests have a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season—all months have an average precipitation value of at least 60 mm (2.4 in). In rainforest climates the dry season is very short, and rainfall is normally heavy throughout the year. One day in a tropical rainforest climate can be very similar to the next, while the change in temperature between day and night may be larger than the average change in temperature during the year.[1]

Equatorial climates vis-à-vis tropical trade-wind climates

When tropical rainforest climates are more dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) than the trade winds (and with no or rare cyclones), so usually located near the equator, they are also called equatorial climates. Otherwise, when they are more dominated by the trade winds than the ITCZ, they are called tropical trade-wind climates. In pure equatorial climates, the atmospheric pressure is low, almost constant so the (horizontal) pressure gradient is low. Consequently the winds are rare and usually weak (except sea and land breezes in coastal areas) while in tropical trade-wind climates, often located at higher latitudes than the equatorial climates, wind is almost permanent which incidentally explains why rainforest formations are impoverished compared to those of equatorial climates due to their necessary resistance to strong winds accompanying tropical disturbances.[2][3]

Notable cities with tropical rain forest climates

Africa Moroni, Comoros Kisumu, Kenya Harper, Liberia (equatorial climate) Antalaha, Madagascar Manakara, Madagascar Kampala, Uganda Americas Punta Gorda, Belize Boca Raton, Florida, United States Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States Limón, Costa Rica Higüey, Dominican Republic Puerto Barrios, Guatemala La Ceiba, Honduras Port Antonio, Jamaica Havana, Cuba Bluefields, Nicaragua Changuinola, Panama Manaus, Brazil (equatorial climate) Belém, Brazil (equatorial climate) Macaé, Brazil Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago Salvador, Brazil Florencia, Colombia Medellín, Colombia Puyo, Ecuador (equatorial climate) Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana (equatorial climate) Georgetown, Guyana Iquitos, Peru (equatorial climate) Paramaribo, Suriname (equatorial climate) Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia (equatorial climate)

Asia Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (equatorial climate) Jayapura, Indonesia (equatorial climate) Padang, Indonesia (equatorial climate) Tangerang, Indonesia (equatorial climate) Ishigaki, Japan Johor Bahru, Malaysia (equatorial climate) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (equatorial climate) Kuching, Malaysia (equatorial climate) Davao City, Philippines (subequatorial climate) Polomolok, Philippines (subequatorial climate) Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines Singapore (equatorial climate) Kurunegala, Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka (subequatorial climate) Hualien, Taiwan Orchid Island, Taiwan Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Oceania Pago Pago, American Samoa, United States Innisfail, Queensland, Australia Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia Suva, Fiji Tarawa, Kiribati (subequatorial climate) Majuro, Marshall Islands Tabubil, Papua New Guinea (equatorial climate) Lae, Papua New Guinea (equatorial climate) Apia, Samoa Honiara, Solomon Islands Nuku’alofa, Tonga Funafuti, Tuvalu Hilo, Hawaii, United States Port Vila, Vanuatu

Paramaribo, Suriname
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     200     30 22     140     30 22     150     30 22     210     31 22     290     30 23     290     31 22     230     31 22     170     32 23     90     32 23     90     33 23     120     32 23     180     30 22 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     7.9     86 72     5.5     86 72     5.9     86 72     8.3     88 72     11     86 73     11     88 72     9.1     88 72     6.7     90 73     3.5     90 73     3.5     91 73     4.7     90 73     7.1     86 72 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Mbandaka, DR Congo
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     80     31 19     100     32 20     150     32 20     140     31 20     130     31 20     110     30 19     100     30 17     100     29 17     200     30 19     210     30 19     190     30 19     120     30 19 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.1     88 66     3.9     90 68     5.9     90 68     5.5     88 68     5.1     88 68     4.3     86 66     3.9     86 63     3.9     84 63     7.9     86 66     8.3     86 66     7.5     86 66     4.7     86 66 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Pontianak, Indonesia
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     260     32 23     215     33 23     254     33 23     292     33 23     256     33 23     212     33 23     201     33 22     180     33 23     295     33 23     329     33 23     400     32 23     302     32 22 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     10     90 73     8.5     91 73     10     91 73     11     92 74     10     91 74     8.3     92 74     7.9     91 72     7.1     92 73     12     91 73     13     91 73     16     90 73     12     90 72 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Kuching, Malaysia
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     466     30 23     445     29 23     465     30 23     251     32 23     347     33 24     310     32 23     184     31 23     326     32 23     208     32 23     307     32 23     482     32 24     516     30 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: Monthly Statistical Bulletin Sarawak
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     18     87 73     18     84 74     18     87 73     9.9     90 74     14     91 74     12     89 73     7.2     88 74     13     89 73     8.2     90 74     12     89 74     19     89 74     20     87 74 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Davao, Philippines
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     140     31 23     109     31 23     108     32 24     125     33 24     159     33 25     187     32 24     165     32 24     170     32 24     170     32 24     175     32 24     138     32 24     113     31 24 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     5.5     87 74     4.3     88 74     4.3     90 74     4.9     91 76     6.2     91 76     7.4     89 76     6.5     89 75     6.7     89 75     6.7     89 75     6.9     90 75     5.4     90 75     4.4     89 75 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

Quibdó, Colombia
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     579     30 23     505     30 23     526     30 23     655     31 23     776     31 23     762     31 23     803     31 23     852     31 23     702     31 23     654     30 23     728     30 23     589     30 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     23     86 73     20     86 74     21     87 74     26     87 74     31     88 74     30     88 73     32     88 73     34     88 73     28     87 73     26     87 73     29     86 73     23     85 73 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

See also

• Tropics
• Köppen climate classification

References

1. McKnight, Tom L; Hess, Darrel (2000). "Climate Zones and Types". Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. pp. 205–8. ISBN 978-0-13-020263-5.
2. Climatologie Pierre Estienne Alain Godard, pages 309 and 316
3. Seidel, Dian J.; Fu, Qiang; Randel, William J.; Reichler, Thomas J. (January 2008). "Widening of the tropical belt in a changing climate". Nature Geoscience. 1 (1): 21–24. doi:10.1038/ngeo.2007.38. ISSN 1752-0908.