A Summary of Climate for the World's Six Major Biomes

Biome	Latitude Range	Temperature	Precipitation	Climate Description
Tundra	60º-75ºN

(Northern hemisphere only)	Generally the coldest of all biomes. Tundra regions have 6 to 10 months at 0ºC or below.

1-4 warmer months at 0ºC to 10ºC.	Low precipitation with an avg. annual precipitation (includes snowfall) of 25cm.	High latitude conditions with long dark winters and strong dry winds. Snowfall insulates some plants and animals from the cold.
Taiga	50º-70ºN

(Northern hemisphere only)	Wide temperature range between summer and winter months.

Warm months:

1-4 months between 10ºC to 20ºC.

Cold months:

Up to 6 months below 0ºC.	Most precipitation during summer months with an avg. annual precipitation of 50cm.	Sub-Arctic cold conditions with mostly coniferous forests.

Long severe winters. Dark for about 20 hours per day.

Short humid summers with 20 hours of sunlight per day.
Deciduous
Forest	30º-55ºN and

30º-55ºS

(Northern and Southern hemispheres)	4-12 months at 10ºC to 20ºC.

Average annual temperature of 15ºC.

Temperature can range from
-30ºC to 30ºC.	Precipitation distributed evenly throughout the year. Avg. annual precipitation of 90cm.	Temperate moist continental climate with cold winters and long warm summers. The amount of sunlight varies between seasons.
Grassland	30º-55ºN and

30º-55ºS

(Northern and Southern hemispheres)	Depends on position from equator.

Wide temperature range of 24ºC.

Average monthly temperature approximately 18ºC.

Summer temperatures can reach 38ºC and winter temperatures can get as low as -23ºC.	Precipitation usually distributed evenly throughout the year. The amount, however, depends on position relative to the equator.

Dry regions less than 50cm/yr.

Wet regions receive approximately 90cm/yr.

Avg. annual precipitation: 40cm.	Climate depends on how close the region is to the equator, usually mild and humid. Most grassland regions have cold winters and hot, dry summers.
Desert	18º-28ºN and

18º-28ºS

(Centered on Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer)	Daily temperature extremes can range from 60ºC during the day to
-2ºC at night.

Average annual temperature of 22ºC.	Dry with little to no rainfall.

Avg. annual precipitation is less than 25cm.	Dry arid climate. Not always hot. Cold deserts can be found in the higher latitudes and at high elevations.
Rainforest	10ºS-25ºN

(Northern and Southern hemispheres)	Temperatures are very constant. Average monthly temperature above 20ºC.	More rain than any other biome with an avg. annual rainfall of 203cm.	Rainforests can be very humid places with 80% humidity during the day. This keeps areas very moist. Tropical rainforest can have two wet and two dry seasons.

© 2004 SchoolKiT International

Biome Notes SchoolKiT Template

2004-01-10