Tropical savanna climate - Wikipedia
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Tropical wet and dry climate
Climate subtype
Worldwide zones of tropical savanna climate (Aw/As)
Tropical savanna climate
or
tropical wet and dry climate
is a
tropical climate
sub-type that corresponds to the
Köppen climate classification
categories
Aw
(for a dry "winter") and
As
(for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation and also less than
100
Total Annual Precipitation (mm)
25
{\textstyle 100-\left({\frac {\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25}}\right)}
mm of precipitation.
: 200–1
This latter fact is in a direct contrast to a
tropical monsoon climate
, whose driest month sees less than 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation but has
more
than
100
Total Annual Precipitation (mm)
25
{\textstyle 100-\left({\frac {\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25}}\right)}
of precipitation. In essence, a tropical savanna climate tends to either see less overall rainfall than a tropical monsoon climate or have more pronounced dry season(s). For example, if the total rainfall is less than 1,000 mm (39 in), the equation above yields a number greater than 60 mm (and so excludes the possibility of being a tropical monsoon climate). It is impossible for a tropical savanna climate to have more than 2,500 mm (98 in) as such would result in a negative value in that equation.
In tropical savanna climates, the dry season can become severe, and often drought conditions prevail during the course of the year. Tropical savanna climates often feature tree-studded grasslands due to its dryness, rather than thick jungle. It is this widespread occurrence of tall, coarse grass (called savanna) which has led to Aw and As climates often being referred to as the tropical savanna. However, there is some doubt whether tropical grasslands are climatically induced. Additionally, pure savannas, without trees, are the exception rather than the rule.
Versions
edit
There are generally four types of tropical savanna climates:
Distinct
wet
and
dry seasons
of relatively equal duration. Most of the region's annual rainfall is experienced during the wet season and very little precipitation falls during the dry season.
A lengthy dry season and a relatively short wet season. This version features seven or more dry season months and five or fewer wet season months. There are more variations within this version:
On one extreme, the region receives just enough precipitation during the short wet season to preclude it from a
semi-arid climate
classification. This drier variation of the tropical savanna climate is typically found adjacent to regions with hot semi-arid (
BSh
) climates, such as seen in places like India, Northern Australia, the Sahel region in Africa and Brazil.
On the other extreme, the climate features a lengthy dry season followed by a short but extremely rainy wet season. However, regions with this variation of the climate do not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to qualify as a
tropical monsoon climate
Am
). These can be found near tropical monsoon climates such as in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
A lengthy, moderately wet season and a relatively short dry season. This version features seven or more wet season months and five or fewer dry season months. This version's precipitation pattern is similar to precipitation patterns observed in some tropical monsoon climates (as well as
subhumid temperate climates
farther poleward) but does not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to be classified as such, while the rainfall in the dry season is just low enough to preclude a
tropical rainforest climate
Af
) and temperatures in the winter months are warm enough to preclude a
humid subtropical climate
Cwa
) or
subtropical highland climate
Cwb
) classification. This is often found near the poleward margins of the tropical savanna climates.
A dry season with a noticeable amount of rainfall followed by a rainy wet season. In essence, this version mimics the precipitation patterns more commonly found in a tropical monsoon climate, but do not receive enough precipitation during either the dry season or the year to be classified as such.
Distribution
edit
Dry forest in Thailand
Savanna in South Sudan
Tropical savanna climates are most commonly found in
Africa
Asia
Central America
, and
South America
. The climate is also prevalent in sections of northern
Australia
, the Pacific Islands, in extreme southern
North America
in
south Florida
, and some islands in the
Caribbean
. Most places that have this climate are found at the outer margins of the
tropical zone
, but occasionally an inner-tropical location (e.g.,
San Marcos
Antioquia
Colombia
) also qualifies. Similarly, the Caribbean coast, eastward from the
Gulf of Urabá
on the
Colombia
Panamá
border to the
Orinoco
river delta
, on the Atlantic Ocean (ca. 4,000 km (2,485 mi)), have long dry periods. The extreme is the BSh climate (see below), characterized by very low, unreliable precipitation, present, for instance, in extensive areas in the
Guajira
, and Coro, western Venezuela, the northernmost peninsulas in South America, which receive <300 mm (11.8 in) total annual precipitation, practically all in two or three months. This condition extends to the
Lesser Antilles
and
Greater Antilles
forming the Circumcaribbean dry belt. The length and severity of the dry season diminishes inland (southward); at the latitude of the Amazon river—which flows eastward, just south of the equatorial line—the climate is Af. East from the Andes, between the arid Caribbean and the ever-wet Amazon, are the
Orinoco
river
llanos
or
savannas
, from where this climate takes its name.
Sometimes
As
is used in place of
Aw
if the dry season occurs during the time of higher sun and longer days. This is typically due to a rain shadow effect that cuts off ITCZ-triggered summer precipitation in a tropical area while winter precipitation remains sufficient to preclude a
hot semi-arid climate
BSh
) and temperatures in the summer months are warm enough to preclude a
Mediterranean climate
Csa/Csb
) classification. This is the case in parts of
Hawaii
, East Africa (Mombasa, Kenya, Somalia), Sri Lanka (
Trincomalee
) and southeast
India
, for instance. On coastal regions of Northeastern Brazil (from
Natal
to
Salvador
), it is rainy roughly from March to August due to
easterly wave
disturbances. The difference between "summer" and "winter" in such tropical locations is usually so slight that a distinction between an
As
and
Aw
climate is trivial. In most places that have tropical wet and dry climates, however, the dry season occurs during the time of lower sun and shorter days because of reduction of or lack of
convection
, which in turn is due to the meridional shifts of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
during the entire course of the year, based on which
hemisphere
the location sits.
Some examples of tropical savanna climates
edit
Banjul
, The Gambia
Climate chart (
explanation
0.5
32
16
34
17
34
18
33
19
1.3
32
20
63
32
23
232
31
24
347
30
23
255
31
23
76
32
22
1.6
33
19
0.7
32
16
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: BBC Weather
Imperial conversion
89
60
92
62
93
64
91
66
0.1
89
69
2.5
89
73
9.1
87
74
14
86
74
10
88
73
89
72
0.1
91
66
89
61
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Chennai
, India
Climate chart (
explanation
20
29
21
4.7
31
22
3.4
33
24
18
35
27
50
37
28
75
37
28
113
35
26
141
35
26
144
34
26
278
32
25
377
30
23
184
29
22
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source:
India Meteorological Department
Imperial conversion
0.8
85
70
0.2
88
72
0.1
91
76
0.7
94
80
99
82
99
82
4.5
96
80
5.6
94
79
5.7
94
78
11
90
76
15
86
74
7.2
84
71
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Darwin
, Australia
Climate chart (
explanation
466
32
25
373
32
25
335
32
25
108
33
24
25
32
23
2.3
31
20
1.2
31
20
5.8
32
20
18
33
23
65
34
25
137
34
26
276
33
26
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source:
Australian Bureau of Meteorology
[1]
Imperial conversion
18
89
77
15
89
77
13
90
76
4.2
91
76
90
73
0.1
87
68
87
67
0.2
89
69
0.7
91
74
2.6
92
77
5.4
92
78
11
91
78
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Tegucigalpa
, Honduras
Climate chart (
explanation
5.3
26
14
4.7
27
15
9.9
30
16
43
30
17
144
30
18
159
29
18
82
28
18
89
29
18
177
29
18
109
27
18
40
26
16
9.9
25
15
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: WMO
Imperial conversion
0.2
78
58
0.2
81
58
0.4
85
60
1.7
86
63
5.6
86
65
6.2
83
65
3.2
82
64
3.5
83
64
83
64
4.3
81
64
1.6
79
61
0.4
78
59
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Ho Chi Minh City
, Vietnam
Climate chart (
explanation
12
32
23
33
23
18
34
25
57
35
26
202
35
26
224
34
26
231
33
25
219
33
25
490
33
25
340
32
25
128
32
25
41
32
24
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: IBST
Imperial conversion
0.5
90
74
0.3
91
74
0.7
92
77
2.2
94
80
95
80
8.8
92
78
9.1
91
77
8.6
91
77
19
91
77
13
90
77
90
77
1.6
89
76
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Mumbai
, India
Climate chart (
explanation
0.6
30
19
30
20
1.3
32
23
0.8
33
25
34
27
517
32
27
791
30
26
483
30
25
353
31
25
86
33
25
8.8
34
24
2.8
32
21
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: WMO
Imperial conversion
86
67
87
69
0.1
89
73
91
78
0.2
93
81
20
90
80
31
86
78
19
86
77
14
87
77
3.4
92
77
0.3
93
74
0.1
90
70
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
See also
edit
Tropics
Köppen climate classification
Tropical marine climate
References
edit
McKnight, Tom L; Hess, Darrel (2000).
"Climate Zones and Types"
Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation
. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
ISBN
978-0-13-020263-5
"World Weather Information Service — Banjul"
. Retrieved
3 March
2020
"CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMALS 1981 - 2010"
(PDF)
India Meteorological Department
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 5 February 2020.
"Weather Information for Tegucigalpa, Country: HONDURAS"
WMO
"Normals Data"
(PDF)
ibst.vn
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 22 July 2018
. Retrieved
22 September
2025
"Normals Data"
ds.data.jma.go.jp
. Retrieved
18 September
2025
Climate
types under the
Köppen climate classification
Class A
Tropical rainforest
(Af)
Tropical monsoon
(Am)
Tropical savanna
(Aw, As)
Class B
Desert
(BWh, BWk)
Semi-arid
(BSh, BSk)
Class C
Humid subtropical
(Cfa, Cwa)
Oceanic
(Cfb, Cwb, Cfc, Cwc)
Mediterranean
(Csa, Csb, Csc)
Class D
Humid continental
(Dfa, Dwa, Dsa, Dfb, Dwb, Dsb)
Subarctic
(Dfc, Dwc, Dsc, Dfd, Dwd, Dsd)
Class E
Tundra
(ET)
Ice cap
(EF)
Alpine
(ET, EF)
Lists
List of cities by Köppen climate classification
Seasons
Temperate seasons
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Weather portal
Tropical seasons
Wet season
Dry season
Specific
Cyclone season
Fog season
Harmattan
(West Africa)
Monsoon season
Mud / breakup /
minoskamin
bezdorizhzhia / rasputitsa
Rainy season
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Tropical savanna climate
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