Subarctic Climate - Distribution

Distribution

The Dfc climate, by far the most common subarctic type, is found in the following areas:

• Much of Siberia
• The Kamchatka Peninsula
• The northern and central parts of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island
• The Western Alps between 1600 and 2100 meters (5,249 and 6,890 feet), and the Eastern Alps between 1450 and 1800 meters (4,757 and 5,905 feet) - France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Austria.
• The Pyrenees, between 1600 and 2100 meters (5,249 and 6,890 feet) - Andorra, France and Spain.
• The northern half of Scandinavia (milder winters in coastal areas)
• Most of Interior, Western and Southcentral Alaska
• The high Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and the White Mountains of New Hampshire
• Much of Canada from about 53-55°N to the tree line, including:
  • Southern Labrador
  • Certain areas within Newfoundland interior and along its northern coast
  • Quebec: Jamésie, Côte-Nord and far southern Nunavik
  • Far northern Ontario
  • The northern Prairie Provinces
  • Most of the Yukon
  • Most of the Northwest Territories

In parts of Asia, the Siberian High makes the winters so dry (typically with around 5 millimetres (0.20 in) of rainfall equivalent per month) that snow cover is very limited, creating a Dwc climate in:

• Much of northern Mongolia
• Russia:
  • Most of Khabarovsk Krai except the south
  • Southeastern Sakha Republic
  • Southern Magadan Oblast
  • Northern Amur Oblast
  • Northern Buryatia
  • Zabaykalsky Krai
  • Irkutsk Oblast
• China:
  • Tahe County and Mohe County in Heilongjiang
  • Northern Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia
  • Gannan in Gansu (due to extreme altitude)
  • Huangnan, eastern Hainan and eastern Guoluo (due to extreme altitude)
  • Most of Garzê and Ngawa Autonomous Prefectures (due to extreme altitude)
  • Most of Qamdo Prefecture (due to extreme altitude)

Further north in Siberia, continentality increases so much that winters can be exceptionally severe, averaging below −38 °C (−36 °F), even though the hottest month still averages more than 10 °C (50 °F). This creates Dfd and Dwd climates.

The Southern Hemisphere, which has no large landmasses in the upper-middle latitudes that can have both the short but well-defined summers and severe winters that characterize this climate, has no locations with this climate.

Should one go poleward or even toward a polar sea, one finds that the warmest month has an average temperature of less than 10°C (50°F), and the subarctic climate grades into a tundra climate even less suitable for trees. Equatorward or toward a lower altitude, this climate grades into the humid continental climates with longer summers (and usually less-severe winters); in a few locations close to a temperate sea (as in North Norway and southern Alaska), this climate can grade into a short-summer version of an oceanic climate, the subpolar oceanic climate, as the sea is approached. In China and Mongolia, as one moves southwestwards or towards lower altitudes, temperatures increase but precipitation is so low that the subarctic climate grades into a cold semi-arid climate.