Tropical rainforest climate facts for kids

Worldwide zones of Tropical rainforest climate (Af).

A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. They experience high mean annual temperatures and small temperature ranges. Annual rainfall is high, amounting to more than 2000mm that falls throughout the year. Regions with this climate are typically designated Af by the Köppen climate classification. A tropical rainforest climate is typically hot, very humid, and wet.

Description

Tropical rain forests 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 (2.4 in). There are no distinct wet or dry seasons as rainfall is high throughout the months. One day in a tropical rainforest 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 during the year.

Equatorial climates vis-à-vis tropical trade-wind climates

When tropical rainforest climates are more dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) than the trade winds (and with no or rare cyclones), so usually located near the equator, they are also called equatorial climates. Otherwise, when they are more dominated by the trade winds than the ITCZ, they are called tropical trade-wind climates. In pure equatorial climates, the atmospheric pressure is low, almost constant so the (horizontal) pressure gradient is low. Consequently the winds are rare and usually weak (except sea and land breezes in coastal areas) while in tropical trade-wind climates, often located at higher latitudes than the equatorial climates, wind is almost permanent which incidentally explains why rainforest formations are impoverished compared to those of equatorial climates due to their necessary resistance to strong winds accompanying tropical disturbances.

Notable cities with tropical rain forest climates

Africa

• Moroni, Comoros
• Kisumu, Kenya
• Harper, Liberia (equatorial climate)
• Antalaha, Madagascar
• Manakara, Madagascar
• Kampala, Uganda

Americas

• Amazon Basin, Brazil
• Punta Gorda, Belize
• Limón, Costa Rica
• Higüey, Dominican Republic
• Puerto Barrios, Guatemala
• La Ceiba, Honduras
• Port Antonio, Jamaica
• Havana, Cuba
• Bluefields, Nicaragua
• Changuinola, Panama
• Manaus, Brazil (equatorial climate)
• Belém, Brazil (equatorial climate)
• Macaé, Brazil
• Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago
• Salvador, Brazil
• Florencia, Colombia
• Medellín, Colombia
• Puyo, Ecuador (equatorial climate)
• Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana (equatorial climate)
• Georgetown, Guyana
• Iquitos, Peru (equatorial climate)
• Paramaribo, Suriname (equatorial climate)
• Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia (equatorial climate)

Asia

• Balikpapan, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (equatorial climate)
• Batam, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Jayapura, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Padang, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Pekanbaru, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Pontianak, Indonesia (equatorial climate)
• Ishigaki, Japan
• Johor Bahru, Malaysia (equatorial climate)
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (equatorial climate)
• Kuching, Malaysia (equatorial climate)
• Davao City, Philippines (subequatorial climate)
• Polomolok, Philippines (subequatorial climate)
• Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines
• Singapore (equatorial climate)
• Kurunegala, Sri Lanka
• Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka (subequatorial climate)
• Hualien, Taiwan
• Orchid Island, Taiwan
• Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Oceania

• Pago Pago, American Samoa, United States
• Innisfail, Queensland, Australia
• Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia
• Suva, Fiji
• Tarawa, Kiribati (subequatorial climate)
• Majuro, Marshall Islands
• Tabubil, Papua New Guinea (equatorial climate)
• Lae, Papua New Guinea (equatorial climate)
• Apia, Samoa
• Honiara, Solomon Islands
• Nuku’alofa, Tonga
• Funafuti, Tuvalu
• Hilo, Hawaii, United States
• Port Vila, Vanuatu

Weather chart for Paramaribo, Suriname
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
temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: [1]
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 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Weather chart for Mbandaka, DR Congo
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
temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: [2]
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 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Weather chart for Pontianak, Indonesia
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
260   32 23	215   33 23	254   33 23	292   33 23	256   33 23	212   33 23	201   33 22	180   33 23	295   33 23	329   33 23	400   32 23	302   32 22
temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: [3]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     10   90 73     8.5   91 73     10   91 73     11   92 74     10   91 74     8.3   92 74     7.9   91 72     7.1   92 73     12   91 73     13   91 73     16   90 73     12   90 72 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Weather chart for Kuching, Malaysia
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
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 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Weather chart for Davao, Philippines
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
140   31 23	109   31 23	108   32 24	125   33 24	159   33 25	187   32 24	165   32 24	170   32 24	170   32 24	175   32 24	138   32 24	113   31 24
temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: [4]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     5.5   87 74     4.3   88 74     4.3   90 74     4.9   91 76     6.2   91 76     7.4   89 76     6.5   89 75     6.7   89 75     6.7   89 75     6.9   90 75     5.4   90 75     4.4   89 75 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

Weather chart for Quibdó, Colombia
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
temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: [5]
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 temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches