What Determines Your Climate

Four main factors shape your local climate:

• Latitude — distance from the equator sets how much solar energy an area receives
• Altitude — temperature drops about 6.5 degrees C per 1,000 meters, which is why mountains near the equator can have snow
• Distance from the ocean — water moderates temperature swings, so coasts are milder than continental interiors
• Ocean currents — warm currents heat nearby coasts; cold currents cool them and suppress rainfall

Change any one of these and the climate changes with it.