1. What Affects Weather
Patterns?

2. Location Affects Weather
The equator is an imaginary line that divides Earth
in half horizontally.
Latitude is the distance north and south of the equator.
A place’s latitude helps determine its weather.

3. Climate Zones
Climate is the average weather of a place over a long period of time.
There are 3 types of climate zones:
Polar - farthest from equator (cool to cold all year)
Temperate - warm & cool, tend to have seasons
Tropical - closest to the Equator (warm to hot all year)

4. Climate Zones

5. Hemispheres
Each half of the Earth is a hemisphere.
Northern Hemisphere is North of (above) the Equator
Southern Hemisphere is South of (below) the Equator
The seasons are opposites in each Hemisphere:
When it is fall in NC in the Northern Hemisphere
it is spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

6. Geography Affects Weather
Mountains affect Temperature
Temperatures are cooler in the Mountains of Western NC than in the flatter
Central and Eastern parts of the state.
Mountains also affect Precipitation
Mountains create a rain shadow

7. Rain Shadow - Explanation
Think of warm air moving toward a mountain. As the air reaches the mountain,
it is forced to move upward because of the shape of the mountain. As the air
moves upward, it cools. The water in the air condenses and falls as
precipitation, producing a wet side of the mountain. That leaves cool, dry air,
which moves over the top of the mountain. Then it begins to move down along
the slope of the mountain. As it sinks, it absorbs heat from the land and can
hold more water. This often produces a dry area, or desert, on the far side of
the mountain. The dry area is called a rain shadow.

8. Geography Affects Weather
Oceans and lakes affect weather too.
Places closer to large bodies of water have milder weather.
Water warms and cools much more slowly than land.
Areas near oceans tend to get a lot of precipitation.
In winter, warmer ocean water keeps nearby land
warmer.
In summer, cooler ocean water helps keep the land
cool.
Temperatures along the coast of NC tend to be milder
than those in other parts of the state.