We explain what the climate is like in Argentina, the variations that the climate presents throughout the country and what its main characteristics are.
What is the weather like in Argentina?
The Argentine Republic, located at the southern end of the American continent, extends over a large territory, between the parallels 22° and 55° south latitude and the meridians 53° and 74° west longitude.
The great latitudinal extension and the variety of reliefs give rise to a diversity of meteorological phenomena (some of a local nature, others of a larger scale) that determine the existence of a wide range of climatic regimes. Even so, it is possible to broadly describe the climate in Argentina based on its most general characteristics.
Due to its enormous extension, particularly in the north-south direction, Argentina has three main types of climate: warm, temperate and cold..
Climate characteristics in Argentina
Some characteristics of Argentina's climate are:
- Due to its large area, it has several types of climate and subclimates, such as warm humid, warm semi-arid, temperate humid, temperate arid, cold humid and cold arid.
- Latitude determines that it is hot in the north and cold in the south.
- The warmest areas are found in the provinces of Salta and Formosa.
- The coldest areas are found in the Argentine Antarctic sector and on the South Atlantic islands.
- To the west of the country, the altitude of the Andes mountain range causes the average temperature to drop in that area.
- The center and north of the country receive mainly winds from the Atlantic Ocean, while the south of the country receives winds mainly from the Pacific Ocean.
- There are three main local winds: the pampero, the zonda and the sudestada.
Precipitation in Argentina
Precipitation in Argentina is produced mainly by the arrival of humid winds from the oceans.. In the center and north of the country, north of the Colorado River, the winds come mainly from the Atlantic Ocean. In the south, of the Pacific Ocean.
The rainiest areas of Argentina are in the northeast region (NEA)especially in the provinces of Misiones and Corrientes, in some sectors of Tucumán and Salta, and in Andean Patagonia, in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut.
Much of the provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca, La Rioja, Salta and Jujuy in the center and north, and most of extra-Andean Patagonia, in Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro and Nequén, are characterized by having a dry climate with very little annual rainfall.
Temperatures in Argentina
Due to its large latitudinal extension, Argentina presents a decrease in temperatures from the north to the south. The warmest provinces in the country are in the northand the highest average annual temperatures are recorded in Salta, Formosa and Chaco.
As latitude and distance from the equator increase, temperature decreases, so Southern provinces such as Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego and the Malvinas Islands and the Argentine Antarctic sector are those with the lowest temperatures..
In the west of the country, the Andes mountain range also influences the temperature. The highest altitude areas of Argentina are also regions that have very low temperatures..
The winds in Argentina
The regions of Argentina that are located in the center and north of the country receive winds from the Atlantic Ocean. As they are winds that are generated in the ocean, they arrive at the continent loaded with moisture and discharge it in the form of rain as they move from the coasts towards the interior of the country.
The Colorado River, which runs north of Neuquén, south of La Pampa and south of Buenos Aires, is the northern geographical limit of Argentine Patagonia. To the south of this river is the zone of influence of the winds coming from the Pacific Ocean.. They are humid winds but they discharge their precipitation in the Andes mountain range, so they enter a large part of the Argentine territory as dry winds.
In addition to this general circulation of winds in Argentina, there are local winds that are very important for the regions they affect:
- The Pampero. It is a cold, dry wind that blows from the southwest of the country along the Pampas plain. As it comes from cold and dry Patagonia, it causes a marked decrease in temperature and a decrease in humidity, so it does not produce rain.
- The Zonda. It is a hot, dry wind that originates on the western slopes of the Andes, particularly in the Cuyo region. The zonda is a dry wind that, as it descends from the mountains of the Andes, warms rapidly, causing a significant increase in temperature and a decrease in relative humidity.
- The Sudestada. It is a humid and cold wind that originates in the Atlantic Ocean and mainly affects the region of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic coast. This wind blows from the southeast, causing a rapid increase in humidity and a sharp drop in temperature. The Sudestada often causes flooding. On the one hand, because it generates rain, and on the other, because it blows in the opposite direction to the River Plate, which prevents its natural drainage into the sea and causes the level of the river to rise.
Types of climates in Argentina
Based on the combination of temperatures, winds and precipitation, the types of climates that exist in Argentina are:
- Warm humid. Due to its proximity to the equator, it is characterized by very high temperatures in summer and cool winters. It receives humid winds from the Atlantic Ocean, which makes rainfall very abundant, with values greater than 1500 mm and with very little annual seasonality. The subtypes of warm humid climate are: subtropical without dry season, subtropical with dry season and subtropical mountainous.
- Warm semi-arid. It also has very high temperatures in summer and cool winters. The difference with the warm humid climate is that the precipitation levels are lower, and it has a marked dry season in the winter. During the cold season, rainfall drops to practically 0 mm, and appears again from the months of November and December.
- Moist tempering. It is characterized by having warm summers and cold winters. Areas with a humid temperate climate also receive humidity from the Atlantic Ocean, so they also have average to abundant rainfall, with values that are usually between 500 and 1200 mm, with very little annual seasonality.
- Arid temperate. As in the humid temperate climate, the summers are warm and the winters are cold, but it differs in that the annual rainfall does not exceed 500 mm per year.
- Damp cold. It is characterized by having cool summers and very cold winters. It receives humid winds from the Pacific Ocean, so its rainfall is usually abundant.
- Arid cold. As in the humid temperate climate, its summers are cool and its winters very cold. It differs in that rainfall is very scarce and practically never exceeds 400 mm per year.
Distribution of climates in Argentina
The climates of Argentina are distributed in the territory as follows:
- Warm humid. It is located in two regions of the country. In the northeast, in the provinces of Corrientes and Misiones, in the eastern sector of Chaco and Formosa and in the north of Santa Fe. In the northwest, in the north of Tucumán and the center of Salta and Jujuy.
- Warm semi-arid. It is located in the north center of the country, in the north of Santiago del Estero, east of Salta and west of Formosa and Chaco.
- Moist tempering. It is located in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Córdoba, south of Santa Fe, east of San Luis and north of La Pampa. Due to its temperature and rainfall characteristics, it is the region of the country with the highest agricultural production and productivity.
- Arid temperate. It is located in the south of Buenos Aires, east of Chubut, Neuquén Río Negro, Mendoza, San Juan and Catamarca, and in the west of La Pampa and San Luis.
- Damp cold. It is the least widespread climate in Argentina. It is only found in some mountain areas of Neuquén, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego.
- Arid cold. It covers a large part of the Argentine extra-Andean Patagonia, in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine Antarctic sector and the South Atlantic Islands.
References
- Cravero, S and others. (2017) Climate of Argentina. INTA. http://geoportal.idesa.gob.ar/
- Prieto, G (2019) The climate of Argentina through maps. https://www.geografiainfinita.com/
