Tropical rainforest climate

Worldwide zones of Tropical rainforest climate (Af).

A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually (but not always) found along the equator. Regions with this climate typically feature tropical rainforests, and it is designated by the Köppen climate classification.

1 Description
2 Distribution
3 Notable cities with Tropical rainforest climates
4 Examples
5 See also
6 References

Description

Tropical rainforests are a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation value of at least 60 mm. Tropical rainforest climates have no pronounced summer or winter; it is typically hot and wet throughout the year and rainfall is both heavy and frequent. One day in an equatorial climate can be very similar to the next, while the change in temperature between day and night may be larger than the average change in temperature along the year.

Distribution

Upland rainforest in Borneo. Sabah, Malaysia

A tropical rainforest climate is usually found at latitudes within five degrees North and south of the equator, which are dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The climate is most commonly found in Southeast Asia, Central Africa and South America. However, tropical microclimates are found in many other regions (e.g. far North Queensland), while not everywhere along the equatorial region there is a tropical rainforest climate (see also Equatorial dry zone).

Some of the places that have this climate are indeed uniformly and monotonously wet throughout the year (e.g., the northwest Pacific coast of South and Central America, from Ecuador to Costa Rica, see for instance, Andagoya, Colombia), but in many cases the period of higher sun and longer days is distinctly driest (as at Palembang, Indonesia) or the time of lower sun and shorter days may have more rain (as at Sitiawan, Malaysia).

Additionally, while tropical rainforest climates are typically located near the equator (hence the alternate name “equatorial climate”), there are a number of instances where the climate is found some distance away from the equator. For instance, Santos, Brazil and Fort Lauderdale, USA are not only far removed from the equator, but are actually located just outside the tropics. Yet both of these cities feature a tropical rainforest climate, albeit with noticeably cooler and warmer periods of the year.

Notable cities with Tropical rainforest climates

Africa

Americas

Asia/Pacific

Examples

Apia, Samoa

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
450 30 23	380 29 24	350 30 23	250 30 23	260 29 23	120 29 23	80 29 23	80 28 23	130 28 23	170 29 23	260 30 23	370 29 23
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [1]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
18 86 73	15 84 75	14 86 73	9.8 86 73	10 84 73	4.7 84 73	3.1 84 73	3.1 82 73	5.1 82 73	6.7 84 73	10 86 73	15 84 73
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Paramaribo, Suriname

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
200 30 22	140 30 22	150 30 22	210 31 22	290 30 23	290 31 22	230 31 22	170 32 23	90 32 23	90 33 23	120 32 23	180 30 22
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [2]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
7.9 86 72	5.5 86 72	5.9 86 72	8.3 88 72	11 86 73	11 88 72	9.1 88 72	6.7 90 73	3.5 90 73	3.5 91 73	4.7 90 73	7.1 86 72
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Mbandaka, DR Congo

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
80 31 19	100 32 20	150 32 20	140 31 20	130 31 20	110 30 19	100 30 17	100 29 17	200 30 19	210 30 19	190 30 19	120 30 19
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [3]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
3.1 88 66	3.9 90 68	5.9 90 68	5.5 88 68	5.1 88 68	4.3 86 66	3.9 86 63	3.9 84 63	7.9 86 66	8.3 86 66	7.5 86 66	4.7 86 66
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Biak, Indonesia

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
250 29 25	240 28 25	250 29 25	200 29 25	250 29 25	230 29 25	250 28 25	240 29 25	220 29 25	180 29 25	190 30 25	230 29 25
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [4]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
9.8 84 77	9.4 82 77	9.8 84 77	7.9 84 77	9.8 84 77	9.1 84 77	9.8 82 77	9.4 84 77	8.7 84 77	7.1 84 77	7.5 86 77	9.1 84 77
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Kuching, Malaysia

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
466 30 23	445 29 23	465 30 23	251 32 23	347 33 24	310 32 23	184 31 23	326 32 23	208 32 23	307 32 23	482 32 24	516 30 23
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: Monthly Statistical Bulletin Sarawak

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
18 87 73	18 84 74	18 87 73	9.9 90 74	14 91 74	12 89 73	7.2 88 74	13 89 73	8.2 90 74	12 89 74	19 89 74	20 87 74
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Quibdó, Colombia

Climate chart ()

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
579 30 23	505 30 23	526 30 23	655 31 23	776 31 23	762 31 23	803 31 23	852 31 23	702 31 23	654 30 23	728 30 23	589 30 23
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [5]

Imperial conversion
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
23 86 73	20 86 74	21 87 74	26 87 74	31 88 74	30 88 73	32 88 73	34 88 73	28 87 73	26 87 73	29 86 73	23 85 73
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

References

Climate types under the Köppen climate classification

Class A	Tropical rainforest (Af) Tropical monsoon (Am) Tropical savanna (Aw, As)

Class B	Desert (BWh, BWk) Semi-arid (BSh, BSk)

Class C	Humid subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) Oceanic (Cfb, Cwb, Cfc, Cwc) Mediterranean (Csa, Csb)

Class D	Humid continental (Dfa, Dwa, Dfb, Dwb, Dsa, Dsb) Subarctic (Dfc, Dwc, Dfd, Dwd, Dsc, Dsd)

Class E	Polar (ET, EF) Alpine (ET/H)

Tropical rainforest climate