Koeppen temperature letters
Topic: World Climate Classification: Koeppen's Scheme · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 11 "World Climate and Climate Change"
Meaning
In Koeppen's scheme, the third letter of a climate code shows how hot or cold a place is. a means a hot summer, with the warmest month at 22°C or more. b means a warm summer, c a cool summer and d a very cold winter. In the dry group B, h means hot (annual mean temperature 18°C or more) and k means cold. These letters let a code show both the dry season and how hot or cold the place is.
Example
Western Rajasthan is marked BWhw. B means dry, W means desert, and h shows that it is a hot desert with an annual mean of 18°C or more.
Don't confuse with
- Koeppen seasonality letters: the second letters (f, m, w, s) show the dry season, not temperature. For example, the m in Am means monsoon, not a temperature level.
Related concepts
- Empirical classification
- Genetic classification
- Koeppen climate classification
- Koeppen seasonality letters
- Thornthwaite classification