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Precipitationshed.pdf (677 × 489 pixels, file size: 847 KB, MIME type: application/pdf) This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons . Information from its description page there is shown below.
The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. [10] A steppe is a dry grassland. [11] Subarctic climates are cold with continuous permafrost and little precipitation. [12] The tropical zones have the highest number of storm events followed by the temperate climate.
Heavy rain describes rainfall with a precipitation rate above 7.6 millimetres (0.30 in) per hour, and violent rain has a rate more than 50 millimetres (2.0 in) per hour. [11] Snowfall intensity is classified in terms of visibility instead. When the visibility is over 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), snow is determined to be light.
Over the contiguous United States, total annual precipitation increased at an average rate of 6.1% per century since 1900, with the greatest increases within the East North Central climate region (11.6% per century) and the South (11.1%). Hawaii was the only region to show a decrease (−9.25%). [112]
The strength of the water cycle and its changes over time are of considerable interest, especially as the climate changes. [26] The hydrological cycle is a system whereby the evaporation of moisture in one place leads to precipitation (rain or snow) in another place. For example, evaporation always exceeds precipitation over the oceans.
The probability of precipitation can also be expressed using descriptive terms instead of numerical values. For instance, the NWS might describe a precipitation forecast with terms such as "slight chance" meaning 20% certainty and "scattered" meaning 30–50% areal coverage. [10] The precise meaning of these terms varies. [11]
Over the contiguous United States, total annual precipitation increased at an average rate of 6.1 percent per century since 1900, with the greatest increases within the East North Central climate region (11.6 percent per century) and the South (11.1 percent). Hawaii was the only region to show a decrease (−9.25 percent). [89]
In a broader sense, climate is the state of the components of the climate system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere and the interactions between them. [1] The climate of a location is affected by its latitude, longitude, terrain, altitude, land use and nearby water bodies and their currents. [3]