midlatitudes
Between tropics, poles
The midlatitudes are the zones between the tropics and the polar regions, roughly 30 to 60 degrees north and south of the equator.
These regions experience distinct seasons and variable weather patterns, including the westerly winds that drive most temperate climate systems: Most of North America and Europe lie in the midlatitudes.
Also spelled mid-latitudes.
Winds from the sunset
- jetstreamHigh-altitude wind band
- cyclonesRotating storm systems
- anticyclonesHigh-pressure weather systems
- frontsDeceptive outward appearances
precipitation · variability · humidity · convection · troughs · ridges · synoptic · meteorology
Mild, avoiding extremes
- zonesDefined territorial divisions
- parallelsPoints of similarity
- coriolisInertial force from rotation
- hemisphereHalf of a ball
troposphere · continents · landmass · oceanic · coastal · interior
Sheds foliage seasonally
- coniferousProducing woody cones
- temperateMild, avoiding extremes
- forestTree-dense ecosystem
- biomeMajor ecological community
grassland · prairie · steppe · woodland · chaparral · flora · fauna · biodiversity
Recoiling metal spiral
- summerYear's warmest season
- autumnPost-summer cooling period
- winterYear's coldest quarter
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
solstice · frost · thaw · heatwave · snowfall · vernal · autumnal · seasonal
Major grain-producing region
- wheatCereal crop for flour
- cornCereal grown on cobs
- soybeansProtein-rich Asian legume
- vineyardsLand cultivated for wine grapes
orchards · farming · harvest · cropland · pastureland · irrigation · cultivation · livestock
westerlies
Winds from the sunset
- jetstreamHigh-altitude wind band
- cyclonesRotating storm systems
- anticyclonesHigh-pressure weather systems
fronts · precipitation · variability · humidity · convection · troughs · ridges · synoptic · meteorology · climatology
temperate
Mild, avoiding extremes
hemisphere · troposphere · continents · landmass · oceanic · coastal · interior
deciduous
Sheds foliage seasonally
- coniferousProducing woody cones
- temperateMild, avoiding extremes
- forestTree-dense ecosystem
biome · grassland · prairie · steppe · woodland · chaparral · flora · fauna · biodiversity · ecosystem
spring
Recoiling metal spiral
equinox · solstice · frost · thaw · heatwave · snowfall · vernal · autumnal · seasonal · dormancy
breadbasket
Major grain-producing region
vineyards · orchards · farming · harvest · cropland · pastureland · irrigation · cultivation · livestock · grazing
- earth zonesarctic zone, temperate zone, tropical zone, climate zone, cold zone
- Latitudesequator, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, North Pole, South Pole
- temperate zonestemperate zones, temperate zone, mild weather, moderate temperatures, temperate climate
- climatestropical, subtropical, temperate forest, equatorial, continental
midlatitudespolar regions
Earth's coldest latitudes
tropics · arctic · equator · tropical zone · subarctic
midlatitudesextremes
Outermost ends of range
polar climates · tropical climates · tundra · rainforest regions
middle, latitude, lateral, medial, midland, midden, midsection, midafternoon, latitudes