Cold climate with humid winters (Df)
Also called: Humid continental climate · Topic: World Climate Classification: Koeppen's Scheme · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 11 "World Climate and Climate Change"
Meaning
Df is a cold snow forest climate in Koeppen's scheme with no dry season. Here f means there is moisture in every season. It lies poleward of the marine west coast and mid-latitude steppe climates. Winters are cold and snowy, the frost-free season is short and the annual temperature range is large. Weather can change suddenly but the changes do not last long. Winters get harsher towards the poles and further inland.
Example
India's Df area is in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, shown as Dfc on Koeppen's map of India. Around the world, Dfc covers most of Canada and Russia. The warmer Dfa and Dfb (humid continental) belts of the US Midwest, south-eastern Canada and eastern Europe grow maize and wheat and support dairy farming.
Don't confuse with
- Cold climate with dry winters (Dw): Dw has a dry winter under the Siberian high and is found mainly in north-eastern Asia. Df gets moisture all year.