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.Climatologie Pierre Estienne Alain Godard, pages 309 and 316
Cities
Asia Malacca - Car Nicobar, India Balikpapan, Indonesia Medan, Indonesia Palembang, Indonesia Ishigaki, Japan Kuching, Malaysia Johor Bahru, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Davao City, Philippines Polomolok, Philippines Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines Singapore, Singapore Colombo, Sri Lanka Ratnapura, Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka Orchid Island, Taiwan Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Oceania Pago Pago, American Samoa Tubuai, Austral Islands Kuranda, Queensland, Australia Innisfail, Queensland, Australia Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia Suva, Fiji Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile Hagåtña, Guam Atuona, French Polynesia Mata Utu, French Polynesia Papeete, French Polynesia Tarawa, Kiribati Majuro, Marshall Islands Alofi, Niue, New Zealand Koror, Palau Tabubil, Papua New Guinea Lae, Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Island Apia, Samoa Honiara, Solomon Islands Nuku’alofa, Tonga Funafuti, Tuvalu Hilo, Hawaii, United States Port Vila, Vanuatu
Africa Moroni, Comoros Kisumu, Kenya Harper, Liberia Greenville, Liberia Antalaha, Madagascar Manakara, Madagascar Toamasina, Madagascar Victoria, Seychelles Kampala, Uganda
Americas Punta Gorda, Belize Hamilton, Bermuda Villa Tunari, Bolivia Belém, Brazil Macaé, Brazil Salvador, Brazil Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia Florencia, Colombia Leticia, Colombia Cocos Island, Costa Rica Limón, Costa Rica Higüey, Dominican Republic Puyo, Ecuador Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe Puerto Barrios, Guatemala Georgetown, Guyana La Ceiba, Honduras Port Antonio, Jamaica Bluefields, Nicaragua Changuinola, Panama Iquitos, Peru Lelydorp, Suriname Paramaribo, Suriname Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
See also Tropics Monsoon climate Tropical savanna climate Köppen climate classification
References