Tropical rainforest climate

Worldwide zones of Tropical rainforest climate (Af).

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

Description

Tropical rainforests have 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 rainforests have no 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.^[1]

Distribution

Upland rainforest in Borneo. Sabah, Malaysia

A tropical rainforest is usually found at latitudes within ten 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 features a tropical rainforest climate.

Some of the places that have this rainforests 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 Kribi, Cameroon Moroni, Comoros Kisumu, Kenya Harper, Liberia Antalaha, Madagascar Manakara, Madagascar Toamasina, Madagascar Kampala, Uganda North America Punta Gorda, Belize Limón, Costa Rica Higüey, Dominican Republic Puerto Barrios, Guatemala La Ceiba, Honduras Port Antonio, Jamaica Bluefields, Nicaragua Changuinola, Panama Hilo, United States Kapaa, United States West Palm Beach, United States South America Rurrenabaque, Bolivia Belém, Brazil Macaé, Brazil Salvador, Brazil Florencia, Colombia Medellín, Colombia Puyo, Ecuador Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana Georgetown, Guyana Iquitos, Peru Paramaribo, Suriname San Carlos del Zulia, Venezuela

Asia Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Banda Aceh, Indonesia Bandung, Indonesia Banjarmasin, Indonesia Biak, Indonesia Bogor, Indonesia Medan, Indonesia Padang, Indonesia Palangkaraya, Indonesia Palembang, Indonesia Pekanbaru, Indonesia Pontianak, Indonesia Samarinda, Indonesia Tanjung Selor, Indonesia Alor Setar, Malaysia George Town, Malaysia Ipoh, Malaysia Johor Bahru, Malaysia Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia Kuching, Malaysia Malacca City, Malaysia Miri, Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Shah Alam, Malaysia Tabubil, Papua New Guinea Davao City, Philippines Polomolok, Philippines Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines Singapore Colombo, Sri Lanka Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Su-ngai Kolok, Thailand Oceania Innisfail, Australia Suva, Fiji Apia, Samoa Honiara, Solomon Islands Port Vila, Vanuatu

Examples

Western Samoa
Climate chart (explanation)
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:
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 (explanation)
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:
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 (explanation)
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:
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 (explanation)
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:
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 (explanation)
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 (explanation)
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:
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

See also

• Tropics
• Köppen climate classification

References

1. McKnight, Tom L; Hess, Darrel (2000). "Climate Zones and Types". Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. pp. 205–8. ISBN 0-13-020263-0.