climate
Tundra Climate
The tundra is a bleak and treeless place. It is cold through all months of the year Summer is a brief period of milder climates when the sun shines almost 24 hours a day.
But even the sun can't warm the tundra much. The short summer lasts only 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets any warmer than 45 or 50° F. The warmer weather causes a layer of permafrost, ice that never goes away in the ground, to melt, creating bogs and shallow lakes that don't drain. They breed stinging insects, which make life even in the summer miserable for the inhabitants of the tundra. 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. Winter temperatures don't reach above 20° F and average -20° to -30°F. Endless hours 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 hunker down, able to find only enough food to keep warm.
The tundra is an unusually cold and dry climate.
The tundra is a bleak and treeless place. It is cold through all months of the year Summer is a brief period of milder climates when the sun shines almost 24 hours a day.
But even the sun can't warm the tundra much. The short summer lasts only 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets any warmer than 45 or 50° F. The warmer weather causes a layer of permafrost, ice that never goes away in the ground, to melt, creating bogs and shallow lakes that don't drain. They breed stinging insects, which make life even in the summer miserable for the inhabitants of the tundra. 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. Winter temperatures don't reach above 20° F and average -20° to -30°F. Endless hours 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 hunker down, able to find only enough food to keep warm.
The tundra is an unusually cold and dry climate.