Weather and Climate

What Factors Affect Weather?

A region's climate is explained by the weather patterns that have been occurring there over many, many years. There are several factors that impact the climate in a given region.

Latitude Proximity Mountain Ranges

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The latitude of a region affects what weather it has. Polar regions get less sun, so the weather is colder there. Regions near the equator get more sun; therefore, they have warmer weather. When a region is located down wind of a large body of water, such as an ocean, the weather is mostly warm, moist and breezy. Water evaporates from the water surface causing high humidity near the water. Generally speaking, the farther a region is from water, the less humidity there is in the air. Mountains block moving air masses. The air needs to rise up and over the mountain. The air cools as it goes to higher altitudes. Water in the air condenses and precipitation occurs. If a region is located on the windier side of a mountain range, the climate is wetter. On the less windy side of the mountain, the climate is drier.

 

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