Continental (Severe Mid-Latitude) Climate
Winters are freezing but summers can even be hot. The lowering population density as you travel northwards. Long summer days and winter nights. This is Continental climate.
In Mid-Latitude continental climes the summers are warm-to-hot, but the winters are much colder. The hottest summer day may be some 60 degrees warmer than the coldest winter day that year. In places further from the Ocean shores the difference can be even more extreme.
There are four distinct seasons with different prevailing natural colors: yellow autumn, white winter, green spring and saturated-green summer. White color is snow and ice; green and yellow are the ever-changing grass and leafs. Precise duration of each period differs depending on area (e.g. the white winter may last a few sporadic weeks or many months).
The trees drop their leafs in winter and many animals hibernate, others migrate away. Lakes and rivers freeze (for weeks to months) but seas and oceans do not.
Autumn, winter, spring and summer in a humid continental climate city (Vilnius, Lithuania)
Heating is a must in these climes and eats up a significant share of the household revenues in winter. Other associated costs/nuisances include cleaning the roads from snow, changing car tires twice a year (winter/summer).
Many species of animals exist but they are not that well visible. Summers bring lots of insects.
All the continental climate zones are in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere more extensive oceans moderate the climate.
Two main sub-types of this climate exist.
Humid continental climate
Humid continental areas are further from the Poles and less harsh. In summer they offer extremely fertile soils and all the nature looks green (lush forests, grasslands), the winters are snowy and cold with freezing temperatures. The rains are relatively regular but sometimes prolonged aridity harms crops. The difference in daytime and nighttime is big and varies accross seasons. In mid-summer the daytime can surpass nighttime several times and the nights do not get darker than twilight. In winters it is vice-versa, with dark long nights and short daylight. The population densities can still be high with large cities and all the necessary infrastructure available.
| Summer day temperature | Summer night temperature | Winter day temperature | Winter night temperature | Precipitation (dry season) | Precipitation (wet season) | Summer day lenght | Winter day lenght |
| +21C to +31C | +13C to +19C | -12C to +2C | -22C to -5C | 2 mm to 90 mm | 50 mm to 190 mm | 15 to 18 hours | 6 to 9 hours |
Subarctic (taiga) climates
Subarctic (taiga) climates lack the hot summer providing less opportunities for agriculture, making these areas sparsely inhabitted. Some plants grow, grazed by polar animals. Forests of evergreen trees (taigas) prevail. Traditionally locals used to hunt for subsistence, today most live in the rare towns and cities. Winter days are extremely short and summer days extremely long but the sun is never high up.
Midsummer in a subarctic coastal area (Norway). The summers are cool that’s why snow is so low on the mountains. Deeper in the continent summers are hotter but winters much colder.
| Summer day temperature | Summer night temperature | Winter day temperature | Winter night temperature | Precipitation (dry season) | Precipitation (wet season) | Summer day lenght | Winter day lenght |
| +15C to +26C | +8C to +12C | -25C to -2C | -49C to -7C | 5 mm to 70 mm | 60 mm to 290 mm | 16 to 24 hours | 1 to 9 hours |
While most severe mid-latitude areas have humidity fairly evenly spread accross the year, some have winter as the drier season.