The subtropical climate zone is located between thirty and forty degrees south and north of the equator. In some places, it can go even higher, but these are exceptions caused by terrain features and other factors. The belt is located between temperate and tropical climates, which has a significant impact on it. It is believed that in the areas of the globe with precisely such conditions (since they are most comfortable for living and agriculture) the origin of mankind has occurred.
Geography
As mentioned above, the subtropical belt passes relatively close to the equator. And therefore it is not surprising that the climate within it is very warm. It is characteristic of the following regions of the Earth: the Mediterranean, northern New Zealand, almost entirely the United States of America, as well as the south of Australia and the southern part of Russia. It occurs in certain regions of Africa and Asia (for example, in Japan).
Features and types
As the main type of subtropical climate, Mediterranean is usually distinguished. It is characteristic of the western coast of the continents. There is also a monsoon subtropical. It is distributed mainly on the east coast.
Subtropics of Africa also have their own characteristics. As the name implies, a typical Mediterranean subtropical climate is characteristic of areas adjacent to the sea of the same name. It is found, moreover, in some areas of the United States, for example, in California. Basically, this is the coast of such seas as the Aegean, Black, Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Azov, and also Marmara.
The distinctive features of the subtropical climate are warm (often hot) dry summers. This is primarily due to the hot air that comes from the tropics. It “hangs” over the wet sea, as it were, and makes the probability of precipitation practically zero. Winters are cool with significant rainfall. And this is thanks to the northern air masses. They come from temperate latitudes, and, cooling in the south, fall out in the form of rains and wet snow. But this is more likely characteristic of the coast. There is little rainfall inside the continents in winter. The latter often fall in the subtropics in the form of snow, but no cover is formed. Of course, there are anomalies.
The average summer temperature in the subtropical zone is 30-35 degrees above zero. In the winter at night it, however, can drop to minus four. Despite this, the temperature differences are relatively small.
We will not forget about the difference in seasons in the hemispheres. And if the coldest time in the north is January and February, then in the south it is July and August. The same can be said of summer.
Subtropical climate in Russia
In this area are the North Caucasian republics, the Lower Volga region, as well as the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. On the administrative map of Russia, they are all included in the Southern Federal District. In addition, these are the so-called subtropics of Russia.
The climate here, however, varies. And the reason is the high Caucasus mountains. In winter, they do not let the wind blow from Kazakhstan and Georgia. So at this time in the Lower Volga region dominated by air masses coming from other places.
In the summer, the Caucasus also retains moisture from the Atlantic, so a significant amount of precipitation falls on its foothills. The same thing happens in the Crimea. The least precipitation falls on the Lower Volga region and the Don basin - from about 200 to 300 millimeters per year. And most of them in the Sochi region are more than 2000 mm.
The southern regions of Russia are characterized by long, warm summers and short, not cold winters. In some places, the latter is completely absent. So, there is practically no climatic winter in Sochi and in the southern part of Crimea.
The temperature regime is different for coastal zones and areas located inland. So, in winter, the temperature of the coldest month in the north ranges from eight to three with a minus sign. In the more southern republics and on the coast at this time is not lower than -1 degrees Celsius.
In summer, temperatures also vary. High in the mountains in July averages +15. In the Krasnodar Territory, the temperature this month is already from +21 to +24. The hottest thing at this time in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions. The air there warms up to an average of plus 24–27 degrees Celsius. These are the subtropics of Russia.
The Mediterranean
Countries and regions with such a subtropical climate are characterized by classic hot summers with little rainfall and warm winters. Only snow falls in the mountains. In general, summer precipitation may be absent for up to five months. No more than 800 millimeters will fall out per year, depending on the region.
The temperature in summer is mostly high. And only in places it reduces sea air. Winter temperatures rarely drop below zero.
Africa
The north and south-west of the continent is characterized by a subtropical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and humid winters.
Here the average annual temperature is plus twenty. For example, on the African coast of the Mediterranean Sea, this figure is +28 and +12 degrees Celsius, respectively, for July and January. But in these places the temperature differences in the seasons are more noticeable. Monsoons already dominate the southeast. In the summer, they draw moisture from the Indian Ocean. Dragon Mountains stand in her way. And therefore it is rainy all year round, and the climate is subtropical humid.
There is also a lot of rainfall on the southern and northern ends of the mainland. In the first case, their peak falls in the winter, in the second - in the summer.
Asia
Here, the subtropical climate is presented in several variations. This is the Mediterranean - on the coast of Asia Minor. Moreover, its main features are the same: hot and dry summers plus wet winters. There is little rainfall on the plains, but in the mountains up to three thousand millimeters per year. In the east, there is a subtropical monsoon climate. Its zone includes some Japanese islands, part of China and South Korea. Here, precipitation is distributed more evenly throughout the calendar year. However, most of them will fall in the warm season. These places have hot summers and fairly cool winters. The latter is connected with the continental monsoon, which drives Siberian cold masses here.
But for the central part of Asia Minor, rather, the climate is subtropical continental. In some areas, annual temperature fluctuations reach ninety degrees. This is observed, for example, in the Near-Asian highlands. It is very cold in winter, and in summer the air warms up, as in the tropics. Moreover, there is very little rainfall: from 100 to 400 millimeters will fall in a year, depending on the place.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the subtropical climate is very different. And although it has the main features characteristic of its latitudes, in some places it will seem at all not as comfortable as in the resorts of the Mediterranean.