10 Fascinating Microclimates From Around The World

A city or a small area is known to have its own microclimate when its climate differs from the surrounding area. The reasons for a microclimate could be topographic and natural, like slopes in the terrain or the existence of a body of water that cools the air, or man-made like a ground covered with concrete, tar, or bricks that absorb the sun’s energy and radiate heat back to the air. Here’s a collection of 10 fascinating microclimates

1. San Francisco, California – San Francisco is known for its many microclimates created by city’s varied topography. Weather conditions can vary by as much as 9 °F (5 °C) from block to block! For example, the Noe Valley neighborhood is typically warmer and sunnier than adjacent areas because surrounding hills block some of the cool fog from the Pacific. Click here for the best attractions in San Francisco

2. Costa Rica – Despite being small in area (Costa Rica is only the 128th country in the world by size), Costa Rica has 12 different microclimates, varying greatly from hot and humid to cold and frosty. The temperatures are mostly determined by the elevation, topography and the overall geography of the area

3. Saint Helena island, United Kingdom – Saint Helena is one of the most remote islands on earth. The British Overseas Territory is most famous for being home to Napoléon Bonaparte during his exile, and the place where he died and where he was initially buried. The climate in the small island varies greatly across the island: temperatures in the capital Jamestown is typically 5 – 6 °C (9.0 – 10.8 °F) higher than in the middle of the island (where Napoléon’s House is), and Jamestown also receives less rainfall than in the higher grounds and the south coast, where it is also noticeably cloudier

4. Sydney, Australia – During the summers, there’s a climate difference between the coast area of Sydney and the inland suburbs. While the difference could be relatively mild (but still noticeable), in extreme occasions the coast of the city could have a temperature of 24 °C (75 °F), while a suburb 30 km (19 mi) inland reaches 36 °C (97 °F). The main reason for that is that the sea breezes don’t penetrate further enough inland

5. Seville, Spain – The coastal areas in Andalusia, Spain typically average around at 30 °C (86 °F) in summer, but cities that are a bit inland like Seville have extremely hot summers averaging 36 °C (97 °F). Click here for the best attractions in Seville

6. Casablanca, Morocco – Casablanca in Morocco is situated on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which explains the relatively cool summers that average around 23 °C (73 °F) to 26 °C (79 °F), that’s despite the close proximity to the Sahara desert which average exceeds 38 °C (100.4 °F) – 40 °C (104 °F)

7. Amman, Jordan – Amman has extreme microclimates, with a different weather in almost every neighborhood. Areas like the northern and western suburbs of the city are known to be much colder than the city center

8. Santiago, Chile – The variation in climate within Santiago doesn’t influence only the temperature, but the rainfall as well. The lower-elevation areas like the airport area receive around 20% less rain than the city center

9. Leeds, United Kingdom – Leeds is among the driest cities in the UK, and like other cities varying in topography that I mentioned here, Leeds has microclimates. The variation in altitude between the city center and other areas of the city and around it, causes a noticeable variation of several degrees in the temperature

10. Calgary, Canada – Calgary is known for its microclimates and the noticeable weather differences, caused by major elevation differences over 1,000 ft (300 m) within the city. For example, the temperature in the downtown area is different from areas in the west and north of the city