Asia stretches about 5,000 miles from north of the Arctic Circle to south of the equator. From east to west Asia stretches nearly halfway around the world. This vast area has many different kinds of climate. Asia has some of the coldest and some of the hottest, some of the wettest and some of the driest places on earth.

Climate and Weather of Asia

Asia has a wide variety of biomes and climates, from the highest coldest mountain peaks in the Himalayas to the deserts of the Middle East.

The great interior lands of Asia are far from the ocean. Winds from the oceans are cut off by the high mountain chains which surround the interior. Because of this, the climate of central Asia is one of extremes. Winters are long and cold, chilled by cold winds from the polar regions. Summers everywhere but the highlands are short and hot. Except in the mountains, there is little rainfall. Consequently, much of the region is desert.

Northern Asia has much the same sort of climate as central Asia, except that is has more rainfall. Winters are extremely cold-the coldest inhabited place in the world is a village in Siberia called Verkhoyansk. The temperature there sometimes drops to 90 degrees below zero.

Central and Northern Asia Climate

In southern Asia the climate is quite different. It is hot here all year round, except in the mountains. The temperature in the lowlands may reach as high as 125 degrees. There are no summer and winter as we know them. Instead, there is a rainy season and a dry season.

The rainy season usually lasts from June through October. During that period it rains heavily everyday. More rain falls in this part of the Asia than in any other place in the world. Some areas in India get more than 450 inches of rainfall during the rainy season.

The rainy and dry seasons are caused by winds called monsoons, which blow from central Asia toward the southern and eastern edges of the continent. Winter monsoons are dry winds because they blow over dry land. They are cold because they come from a cold region. The summer monsoons blow inland from the oceans, bringing moisture as far inland as they reach.

Southeast Asia and Monsoons

Asia summers vary with location and altitude. Areas along the coast and just inland are susceptible to typhoons, which bring heavy rain and strong winds.

The hurricane tracks in the Atlantic are very similar to the typhoon tracks in the South Pacific

Asia Summers and Typhoons

Winters in Asia vary from cool to extremely cold with the exception of the southern areas. The interior areas are dry, while the coastal areas are humid.

Asia Winter Weather Patterns

LinksLinks

Southeast Asian Rainforests

Northeast Asian Deciduous Forests

Himalayan Alpine Range

Japan Meteorological Agency

China Meteorological Administration

India Meteorological Department

Brunei Meteorological Service

Indonesia Meteorological and Geophysical Agency

Islamic Republic Of Iran Meteorological Organization Israel Meteorological Service

Korea Meteorological Administration

Malaysian Meteorological Service

Oman Meteorological Services

Pakistan Meteorological Department

Philippines: PAGASA

Saudi Arabia: MEPA

Meteorological Service Singapore

Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology

Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan Thai Meteorology Department

Mongolia Inst. of Meteorology and Hydrology

Bangladesh Department of Meteorology

Jordan Meteorological Department

Hydro meteorological Centre of Russia

Maldives Department of Meteorology

UAE Meteorology Department

Qatar Department of Meteorology

Laos Department of Meteorology

Myanmar Department of Meteorology

Nepal Dept. of Hydrology and Meteorology

Azerbaijan Hydro-meteorological Dept.

More information on Asian biomes

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