Classification of major climatic types according to the Koppen-Geiger-Pohl scheme

▪ Table

Classification of major climatic types according to the Köppen-Geiger-Pohl scheme

letter symbol

1st 2nd 3rd criterion

A temperature of coolest month 18 degrees Celsius or higher

f precipitation in driest month at least 60 mm

m precipitation in driest month less than 60 mm but equal to or greater than 100 – (r/25)¹

w precipitation in driest month less than 60 mm and less than 100 – (r/25)

B² 70% or more of annual precipitation falls in the summer half of the year and r less than 20t + 280, or 70% or more of annual precipitation falls in the winter half of the year and r less than 20t, or neither half of the year has 70% or more of annual precipitation and r less than 20t + 140³

W r is less than one-half of the upper limit for classification as a B type (see above)

S r is less than the upper limit for classification as a B type but is more than one-half of that amount

h t equal to or greater than 18 degrees Celsius

k t less than 18 degrees Celsius

C temperature of warmest month greater than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius, and temperature of coldest month less than 18 degrees Celsius but greater than –3 degrees Celsius

s precipitation in driest month of summer half of the year is less than 30 mm and less than one-third of the wettest month of the winter half

w precipitation in driest month of the winter half of the year less than one-tenth of the amount in the wettest month of the summer half

f precipitation more evenly distributed throughout year; criteria for neither s nor w satisfied

a temperature of warmest month 22 degrees Celsius or above

b temperature of each of four warmest months 10 degrees Celsius or above but warmest month less than 22 degrees Celsius

c temperature of one to three months 10 degrees Celsius or above but warmest month less than 22 degrees Celsius

D temperature of warmest month greater than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius, and temperature of coldest month –3 degrees Celsius or lower

s same as for type C

w same as for type C

f same as for type C

a same as for type C

b same as for type C

c same as for type C

d temperature of coldest month less than –38 degrees Celsius (d designation then used instead of a, b, or c)

E temperature of warmest month less than 10 degrees Celsius

T temperature of warmest month greater than 0 degrees Celsius but less than 10 degrees Celsius

F temperature of warmest month 0 degrees Celsius or below

H⁴ temperature and precipitation characteristics highly dependent on traits of adjacent zones and overall elevation—highland climates may occur at any latitude

¹In the formulas above, r is average annual precipitation total (mm) and t is average annual temperature (degrees Celsius). All other temperatures are monthly means (degrees Celsius), and all other precipitation amounts are mean monthly totals (mm).

²Any climate that satisfies the criteria for designation as a B type is classified as such, irrespective of its other characteristics.

³The summer half of the year is defined as the months April–September for the Northern Hemisphere and October–March for the Southern Hemisphere.

⁴Most modern climate schemes consider the role of altitude. The highland zone has been taken from Trewartha (1968).

See as table:

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