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Hot desert climate

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An arid climate, classified as "BW" on the Köppen climate chart, is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900. This climate is characterized by extremely low precipitation, leading to dry and often desert-like conditions. In arid regions, evaporation frequently exceeds precipitation, resulting in sparse and irregular rainfall, typically occurring in short, intense bursts. Temperatures can vary widely, with these areas generally experiencing hot, sometimes scorching, summers and mild to cool winters.

Arid climates are typically found between latitudes 15° and 30° N and S, encompassing vast desert regions in North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of central and western Asia. This climate type is further divided into hot deserts (BWh), such as the Sahara, and cold deserts (BWk), like the Gobi Desert, based on temperature patterns and seasonal variations.