Climate
Tundra weather is extremely cold most of the year while the
summers are short. Without trees, it is also very
windy. Additionally, there is very little snowfall, and even less
rain.
The tundra is a bleak and treeless place. It is cold through all months of the year.
Summer is a brief period of milder temperatures when the sun shines almost 24 hours
a day. It has been called "the land of the midnight sun". But even the sun can't
warm the tundra very much. The short summer lasts 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets
any warmer than 45 or 50° F. The warmer weather causes a layer of permafrost,
frozen water in the subsoil, to melt, creating bogs and shallow
lakes that don't drain. These places breed stinging insects, which make life miserable, even in
the summer, for the inhabitants of the tundra. In addition, the wind blows
constantly whipping around the small plants.
During the long winter months the sun barely rises and it is dark for most of the day.
Bitter cold winds sweep across the barren snowscape, exposing high plateaus to
barren ground.
Winter temperatures don't reach above 20° F and average -20° to -30°F. Endless hours
of darkness settle in and the winds blow even harder. The snow that falls is blown
off the high plateaus and collects in the valleys. Animals bunker down and are only able to
find only enough food to keep warm.
The tundra is an unusually cold and dry climate. Precipitation totals 6-10 inches of
rain a year, which includes melted snow. This is almost as little as the world's
driest deserts. Along with strong and drying winds, the tundra is an extreme weather biome.
The tundra seems like a wet and soggy place because the precipitation that falls
evaporates slowly, and because of the poor drainage caused by the permafrost.
The tundra climate spans from most of Greenland to parts of Alaska, northern Canada,
and northern Russia. The latitudinal range is 75° N to 60° N. Tundra climates
can be found on the coastal areas of the arctic. The ocean water keeps the
climate from falling to the extreme temperatures found in the interior of the
continents.
summers are short. Without trees, it is also very
windy. Additionally, there is very little snowfall, and even less
rain.
The tundra is a bleak and treeless place. It is cold through all months of the year.
Summer is a brief period of milder temperatures when the sun shines almost 24 hours
a day. It has been called "the land of the midnight sun". But even the sun can't
warm the tundra very much. The short summer lasts 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets
any warmer than 45 or 50° F. The warmer weather causes a layer of permafrost,
frozen water in the subsoil, to melt, creating bogs and shallow
lakes that don't drain. These places breed stinging insects, which make life miserable, even in
the summer, for the inhabitants of the tundra. In addition, the wind blows
constantly whipping around the small plants.
During the long winter months the sun barely rises and it is dark for most of the day.
Bitter cold winds sweep across the barren snowscape, exposing high plateaus to
barren ground.
Winter temperatures don't reach above 20° F and average -20° to -30°F. Endless hours
of darkness settle in and the winds blow even harder. The snow that falls is blown
off the high plateaus and collects in the valleys. Animals bunker down and are only able to
find only enough food to keep warm.
The tundra is an unusually cold and dry climate. Precipitation totals 6-10 inches of
rain a year, which includes melted snow. This is almost as little as the world's
driest deserts. Along with strong and drying winds, the tundra is an extreme weather biome.
The tundra seems like a wet and soggy place because the precipitation that falls
evaporates slowly, and because of the poor drainage caused by the permafrost.
The tundra climate spans from most of Greenland to parts of Alaska, northern Canada,
and northern Russia. The latitudinal range is 75° N to 60° N. Tundra climates
can be found on the coastal areas of the arctic. The ocean water keeps the
climate from falling to the extreme temperatures found in the interior of the
continents.
Best Time of the Year to Come
In the Arctic from June to mid-July is the best time to see ice and snow. The midnight
sun has not yet melted the ice, so polar bears and walrus will be hunting on the ice
edge. Birds are returning to breed. The Arctic in mid-July to mid-August is the
best time to circumnavigate Spitsbergen, because ice is less likely to block
channels. Tundra flowers are blooming and wildlife is abundant. It would be smart to
bring warm clothes on your trip to the tundra.
sun has not yet melted the ice, so polar bears and walrus will be hunting on the ice
edge. Birds are returning to breed. The Arctic in mid-July to mid-August is the
best time to circumnavigate Spitsbergen, because ice is less likely to block
channels. Tundra flowers are blooming and wildlife is abundant. It would be smart to
bring warm clothes on your trip to the tundra.