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Topics
on this page:
-Precipitation
Patterns
-The
Seasons in Bergonia
-The
21 Specific Climate Zones
Also
see:
-Vegetation, -Fauna, -The Land The
Major Weather Influences
Moist winds & low pressure
systems come from the west, especially in winter, bringing cool, moist
air to Berg's northwestern half.
The Azores subtropical high pressure system in the east, strongest
in summer.
Big variations in topography & altitude produce big variations
in local climate.
The
Climate
in a Nutshell
A split between subtropical
climate (south, east & lowlands)
and temperate
(north and highlands).
Moist in the west and north. Semi-arid in the south and
east.
The summers
are hot in the lower elevations all throughout Bergonia. The
summers can be mild and balmy in the central plateau and the other
highlands.
Mild winters in the lowlands. Winters are typically
cool and wet in the uplands & central plateau, and in some
years can be very cold. The northern mountains and much of the
central plateau see frost, snow and
ice, though usually light, every year.
Because
of the highly varied topography, there are many local variations
in weather and climate. Dense subtropical forest can exist
within ten or twenty miles of semi-arid scrubland.
Temperature:
January
mean daily highs:
Over 75º F: Incuatati, Soleinia, and
southern Amota, as in Cuba, extreme southern Florida, Senegal. (A
climates)
60-75º F: Paietri, Sanraniclai, Halemarec, southeastern Persian, as in
Central Florida and Spanish Sahara.
(A
climates)
40-60º
F: North
Bergonian coast, Ifuno Plateau, as in Georgia, South Carolina,
Morocco & Spain.
(C
climates)
Under
50º
F:
The high hills & mountains.
July
mean daily highs:
Over
80º F : All southern Bergonia, Amota, and the western
lowlands, as in Florida, South Carolina.
Under
80º F: Northern Bergonia, the Ifuno plateau and the mountains, as in Spain,
and Morocco.
Precipitation:
To the south of the mid-Atlantic high pressure system is a great
dryness, associated with the Sahara. This dryness usually extends to
cover the southeastern third of Bergonia. The western and
northern sides of Bergonia receive the beneficent effect of the low
pressure systems that reliable march eastward from North America,
most predominately in winter.
The
occurrence of dry seasons in Bergonia depends more particularly on whether mountains and
land masses create "rain
shadows," by blocking a region
from a seasonal supply of rain. The Spichelamos block Amota and other eastern regions
from the moist westerlies of winter. Thus,
in Amota the
dry season comes in winter.
In
a more subtler pattern, the mid-Atlantic high pressure system
generally insures that much of northern, central and eastern Berg
see less rain in summer, though the difference is not often
great. This means that certain inland regions, along with the
north and west coasts, have climates that veer toward the Mediterranean
(Cs per the Koppen system).
Most
of the world's great deserts exist on the same latitude as
Bergonia-- 30° north or south. There are indeed plenty of
factors that militate toward a semiarid climate in Bergonia, but
Bergonia is surrounded by water, so any and all winds that reach
Bergonia inevitably carry some precipitable moisture.
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How
geography creates climate:
With
a land mass extending between 25° to 35°N latitude, Bergonia lies
at the divide between the temperate and subtropical climatic
zones. The latitudes that cross Bergonia also cross many of the world's great
deserts, including Sahara, Arabian and Sonoran. Also at
this latitude around the world one finds semiarid plateaus,
including the Colorado, Moroccan, Iranian & South African.
On one hand the sub-tropical high pressure system floats over
the Atlantic Ocean to the east of Bergonia.
Its movements and strengths are the main determinant of (a)
weather in the southern half of Berg, and (b) summer weather
overall. On the other hand the low pressure systems
originating
from North America determine (a) weather in the northern half of
Berg and (b) winter weather overall. Generally Bergonia's summer weather comes from the east, and its
winter weather comes from the west.
How topography
tempers climate:
Any
generalizations that one can make about Bergonian weather and climate
must be tempered by appreciation of just how mountainous this
continental island really is. Only
in the southern part of Bergonia does the land lay flat.
The mountainous and hilly topography produces extreme
variations in temperature, rainfall and ecology.
Windward sides of mountain ranges get dependable rainfall, while
leeward sides cast "rain shadows." Extremely arid localities
border other areas that are quite moist
and verdant.
Likewise, one can
leave hot, dry lowlands, ascend quickly into cloud forest, and then
emerge into Alpine meadow, all within ten or twenty miles.
Nowhere in the lowlands of Bergonia does one
experience cold weather. But with increased altitude, winter temperatures
and nightly lows fall much lower. The central plateau is for
the most part above 1000 meters/3281 feet. At that altitude,
winter temperatures are generally 5 to 10° C (9-18° F) colder than
sea level temperatures. On the plateau and in the mountains
winter nighttime temperatures can and do fall below
freezing.
Links:
The
world's eco-regions, a valuable web resource maintained jointly
by the National Geographic Society and the World Wildlife Org.
Current
North Atlantic Weather
Current
North Atlantic wind and pressure -- hit this link, then hit
"Atlantic Surface Analysis." "NMLOC
annotated imagery" -- shows current showers and thunderstorms
over the North Atlantic.
NMLOC climatology
for the North Atlantic, including surface temperature and pressure.
Rainfall,
cloud liquid water and water vapor for the world's oceans, including
the North Atlantic.
Trans-Atlantic
aviation weather page
Climate
Prediction Center
Atlas
of East Atlantic Rainfall
Western
North Atlantic Satellite Images
U.S.
Navy Observatory: on-line data for sunrise & sunset, lunar
phases, eclipses, positions of heavenly bodies, etc.
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The
Seasons in Bergonia:
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Summer
Summer
is overall the driest season, but in the east and southeast it is
the wettest season.
In
summer, the sub-tropical high pressure system hovers in the Atlantic
centered around the Azores Islands, between Bergonia and the Iberian
Peninsula, approximately on the 35th parallel.
This high pressure system generates the North-East Trade
Winds. From April to
October these winds blow into eastern and southeastern Berg,
strongest along the 25th degree latitude, which runs
through the flat expanse of southern Bergonia. Therefore, in the summer these winds blow strong across the
south. The winds blow hardest during the day, and can produce a
dense stratum of cloud. These
clouds come inland, and when they strike the the eastern sides of
mountains-- including the Spichelamos and the Palu Mountains--
where it condenses and creates gray shrouds of cloud, mist, rain and
abundant subtropical forest.
The
highlands of the Ifuno plateau get rain in the form of abrupt
thunderstorms which break through the wall of Spichelamo mountains
in the east,
and also which come up from the south.
The west and north of Bergonia are relatively dry in the
summer, since the land mass shield them from the easterly &
southerly influences. Overall,
the trade winds bring moisture sporadically and undependably from
year to year, and week to week.
In the summers of some years,
the high pressure system heavily showers almost all
Bergonia In other years, the high pressure system
expands and spreads over Bergonia and creates drought.
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Autumn
This
is generally Bergonia's rainiest season. It is hurricane season. The
tropical storms form far to the southeast of Bergonia, and then
usually track south and southwest of the island.
The ones that reach Bergonia usually from the southeast to
the northwest, thus striking only the southwestern quarter
of Bergonia.
Pueoi,
Incuatati and
Lampanira are the areas of Bergonia most oft and
hardest hit by these terrible afflictions of natural power.
However some westward-tracking storms will suddenly turn north and
crash directly into Bergonia. At one time or another-- usually
at least once a year-- every part of Bergonia is affected by
tropical storm weather.
Hurricanes have had their affect on history; in medieval times the power of the great state of
Pueoi was in two days utterly destroyed by the force of a mighty hurricane,
thus radically changing the balance of political and military power
of the times, allowing the state of Tiericoatli to dominate all
central Bergonia for over two hundred years.
In
the absence of these powerful storms, Autumn tends to be a balmy time for all
Bergonia, with shifting wind patterns and variable precipitation.
The west, center and north of Bergonia-- even the southeast--
all see a fair amount of
rain.
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Winter
Now the
Azores sub-tropical high pressure system moves to
the south, closer to the northwest African coast, taking the Trade
Winds further south as well, to where they become irrelevant.
Now polar air masses
come off the North American continent, bringing cold moisture.
These currents are fueled by the Jet Stream, which also churn
up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the American Sea.
Thus winter rains are heavy in the west and the north of
Bergonia. The winds
carry the moisture well into the interior of Bergonia, providing all
the Ifuno plateau with rains. When
the temperatures fall in the mountains and on the high plateau, the
rains become snow and ice, although for the most part the winter
climate is mild.
It should be recalled that while Bergonia is on the
same latitude as the southeastern USA, much of its territory
contains mountain ranges over 5,000 feet in altitude, and elevated
plateau land of 2,000 to 5,000 feet.
Because the high Spichelamos mountains run north and south,
they serve as a wall to block the westerly winds.
Thus Amota to the east is quite dry in winter.
The westerlies very rarely benefit the southern part of
Bergonia since typically they blow north of 29 degrees latitude.
However storms sometimes do blow over southern Bergonia,
giving it some rainfall. Moreover, the rains that benefit
central Bergonia end up draining down
southward-flowing rivers into the arid regions.
The winter low pressure systems usually track from
west to east no further south than 32 degrees latitude.
This delimits only the northern third of the landmass, which
is also its most mountainous part.
Therefore the northern mountains and hills are in the winter
frequently very cold and fraught freezing, drizzling rain, often
becoming snow in the high altitudes. Because these winter westerlies are much moister than the
easterlies of summer, the northwest is the moistest part of Bergonia.
When neither winter westerlies nor summer trades are
blowing—which for much of the country is much of the time—the
country enjoys the benign effects of the prevailing anticyclones. These bring light winds, some clouds and moist air, but there
is much sunshine.
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Spring
The
winter patterns persist through March and into April. The westerlies
continue influencing weather in northern and western Bergonia well into
May, keeping these regions moist, so that, as in winter, the northwest
& north are the wettest parts of the country.
The sub-tropical high pressure system
expands again during this time. At times it churns up moist air from
the south and sends it northward over Bergonia where it yields
thunderstorms and rain. Also generated by the subtropical high, the
Trade Winds begin to blow in May and come to prevail over the southeastern
third of Bergonia, and rains begin to fall in the hills and uplands of
Amota, a prelude to the wet summer.
All
in all, this is a short season of transition between the winter and summer
patterns, producing a time of variable weather, difficult to predict.
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The
Climatic Zones:
Parsing
the general weather patterns and the topographical variegations,
meteorologists have often divided Bergonia into 21 climate zones,
which pretty much translate into 21 biomes. With
the name of each region is given its Köppen classification.
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Köppen
Codes:
C -
coldest month under 64ºF,
A - coldest month over 64ºF,
BS - semiarid climate, BW - arid climate,
f - no dry season,
s - summer dry season,
w - winter dry season.
M - mountain climate.
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1.
Northern Mountain Temperate Rain Forests
-M
(Cf)-
Cold and wet, the wettest region in Berg, with annual precipitation over
75 in. Winter
temps often fall to the 30s & below, producing snow. Summer
temps are sweet and 70s. The higher regions
have a true montane climate, with
less rainfall.
2. Northwest
& North (Coninipati,
Omaika &
Bun-Vosuget) -Caf-
Winter
temps rang from 30-50 in the mountains. Hard storms come in winter, from October through April.
Rain falls throughout spring and summer, but not as
much as winter. 50”
plus rainfall a year.
3. Northeast
(Pasiana) -Cf or Cs- Less rain
than in the northwest, about 40” rainfall a year, with more in
winter than in summer. In winter the
storms and fronts come reliably, one after another, from the
west. The summer skies are clear, except for sporadic quick
thunderstorms. This is the part of Bergonia most influenced by the
Mid-Atlantic high pressure system in summer, causing something of a
summer dry season, making the climate Mediterranean, at least to
some degree.
4. Northern
Rain Shadow Valleys -Cf tending toward BW
This
region includes several valley areas ringed by mountains that
shield against the moist westerlies. The weather
patterns are largely the same as #2 but with less
rainfall. The summers are especially dry in these
basins, but not so dry as to constitute a true Mediterranean
dry season.
5.
Western Lowlands
(Paiatri)
-Af-
This
includes a strip of coastline from the Clacupo Bays southward into
coastal
Lampanira. The
winter westerlies bring storms and rains to this land, but winter
temperatures remain balmy, averaging 65 F.
Every few years bad tropical storms come in
autumn. 45” rainfall a year. The decrease of rain in summer is not enough
to be called a dry season.
This is a green lush area.
6.
West Ifuno (Cuecha, Ciarepepina Hills
in
Paiatri) -Cf-
40-50”
rainfall a year. Rain falls
more in winter, but thunderstorms come every season.
Subtropical storms occasionally slam
into and break up against the Western Ifuno. However this region, like all upland central Bergonia, occasionally
suffers from drought. This elevated area is much cooler in the winter than the adjoining
subtropical lowlands
(see #5), with storms
coming from the west bringing cold rain, sleet and
occasionally snow.
Winter temperatures average 40-50 F, nighttime lows often
dipping below freezing.
This
is a region of deciduous trees, with four seasons. Summer temperatures often reach 80 F.
There is not much humidity.
7.
Central Ifuno (Sefaieri) -
inches a year. This
is just a gradient from region #6.
Because it is further inland than 6, it is a little drier and
a little more susceptible to drought.
Because its altitude is a little higher than 6, it is a
little colder.
8.
East Ifuno (Rarsecin,
Kalicon, Zeinran) –Cf--
25’
inches of rainfall annually. From west to east across the central plateau the climate gets
drier. This is the plateau's eastern third where elevations are lower,
with wide valleys and basins. Winter
temperatures still average 30-45 F.
Storms from the west bring cold rain, sleet and
sometimes snow, but the higher elevations immediately to the west
tend to absorb most of the moisture. Summer
temperatures often reach 80 F, and summers can be dry.
There is not much humidity.
9.
Burenshelu (Kalicon) -BSf to BWf-
12
inches. Bushenrelu, in
Kalicon state, is a
basin ringed by mountains and hills, and the rain shadows cast by
the higher elevations all around produce a semiarid climate .
Rainfall can vary drastically from year to year.
So can temperature fluctuate drastically within a year.
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10.
Spichelamo Uplands
(Foi-Pentana)
-M and
BS-
Between 4000
and 6500
ft
few
broadleaves grow. But
arborescent
heaths, pines, junipers abound, amidst highland heather. Above 6500 ft no
trees grow, but a white and
yellow flowering broom, with a sweet scent, cover the slopes.
A region of mists and beautiful wildflowers.
11. Sunto
-BS
and Af-
This
is the southern side of the Sfentoromo mountains, which form the
southern edge of the plateau land mass.
A place of hard sharp rocks and ridges, with winding valleys.
20-25” rainfall a year. Winter temperatures hardly ever fall below 70.
12.
Southwest Lowlands -Af-
30”
rainfall a year, fairly even throughout the year. South
Lampanira, plus
Incuatati. This region
gets a little from both the summer trades and the winter moisture
from the west, as well as the mixed blessings of the subtropical
storms of "hurricane season."
Late winter-early spring is the driest time here.
Temperatures are warm in winter and hot in summer.
There is sometimes high humidity.
13. Palu Mountains -Af-
Cooler
and wetter, hence lusher, than surrounding Zone 12.
Incuatati
14. Eastern
Face of the Palu Mountains -Aw-
The eastern slopes face the summers trades and force a great
deal of rain, but get very little in the winter. A few places get 60-70 inches a year.
These mountains are shrouded in rain forest.
Pueoi
15.
Sarcai, i.e. South-central Hills and Basins
-Aw to
BS-
Rainfall is variable, ranging from 25” to 40” inches a year. Forests
alternate with open sections covered with grass, scrub, thorn trees.
16.
West Beinton, the Southern Lowlands
-BS-
Pueoi,
Sanranicali and most of
Soleinia.
Rainfall in the southern lowlands decreases from west to
east. This flat region
gets generally 20”-15” inches a year.
Grass, scrub, thorn trees cover the land, though trees grow
along rivers and dense mangrove swamps line the coast.
17. Central Beinton,
the Southeast Lowlands
-BW-
This
semi-arid climate receives 12 inches + of rain a
year. Rain mostly comes in the summer half of the year,
from April to October.
18. Southeast
(Serpei)
–BW to BS-
15-9
inches a year or less. This
is flat region is the driest
part of the country, similar to North African climate and to the
lowlands climate in the Canaries.
Here one finds introduced plants like date palm, orange
trees, banana. There is
a Berg version of agave, and also several species of small cactus.
Also euphorbia, and several varieties of shrubby composite
plants.
19. Amota coast
-BS-
Very
similar to #15, but a little wetter.
12-20” rainfall, producing stretches of forest alternating
with grasslands. Warm
all year around. Trade
winds bring moisture in summer for the hills and mountains.
Tends to be dry in winter.
20. Southeast Highland Forests.
–Aw-
This
region includes the
east side of the Spichelamos and other ranges.
The mountains collect
rainfall from trade wind cumulus clouds.
30-60”. The contours between
2500-4000
feet are covered
with dense subtropical forest. Many laurels,
broadleaves.
21. Northern Amota
-Aw
and BS-
20-25” rainfall. The forests extend to lower
elevations. Warm all year around.
Trade winds bring moisture in summer for the hills and
mountains. Tends
to be dry in winter, but not as dry as Southern Amota.
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