A tropical rainforest climate, in some cases classified as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States, and Okinawa, Japan that fall into the tropical rainforest climate category. They experience high mean annual temperatures, small temperature ranges, and rain that falls throughout the year. Regions with this climate are typically designated Af by the Köppen climate classification. A tropical rainforest climate is typically hot, very humid, and wet with no dry season. The difference in temperature between day and night may be larger than the average change in temperature during the year. As the name implies, the most common biome within this climate is tropical rainforest. However, a significant portion of what is considered “tropical rainforest” lies in other A-type climates, and some regions in this climate are not forest but rather flooded grasslands and savannas.
Equatorial climates and tropical trade-wind climates When tropical rainforest climates are more dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) than the trade winds (and with no or rare cyclones), so usually located near the equator, they are also called equatorial climates. Otherwise, when they are more dominated by the trade winds than the ITCZ, they are called tropical trade-wind climates. In pure equatorial climates, the atmospheric pressure is almost constantly low so the horizontal pressure gradient is low, and winds are rare and usually weak (except sea and land breezes in coastal areas). In tropical trade-wind climates, often located at higher latitudes than the equatorial climates, the wind is almost permanent, which leads to rainforests that are impoverished compared to those of equatorial climates, due to their necessary resistance to strong winds accompanying tropical disturbances.
Cities
See also Tropics Monsoon climate Tropical savanna climate Köppen climate classification
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