Annual range of temperature
Topic: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Climates of India"; Class 11, Ch 8 "Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature"
Meaning
The annual range of temperature is the mean temperature of the warmest month minus the mean temperature of the coldest month. It shows how much a place's temperature changes over the year. The range is small near the equator and near the sea. It is large deep inside big continents at high latitudes. Worldwide it is least, about 3°C, between 20°S and 15°N. It is greatest, over 60°C, in north-east Eurasia.
Example
Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon in north-east Siberia, Russia, have an annual range of over 60°C. In India, Delhi (Safdarjung station, 1951-80 data) has a January mean of 14.2°C and a May mean of 32.75°C, a range of 18.55°C. Thiruvananthapuram's monthly means stay near 26-29°C.
Don't confuse with
- Diurnal range of temperature: it is the gap between the highest and lowest temperature within a single day, not across the year.