Interesting weather factoid...

[No_Man]

The Southern Hemisphere doesn't experience winter like the Northern Hemisphere does:

I knew that winter in the Northern Hemisphere was summer in the Southern and vice versa. But I always assumed they were mirror images of each other in other respects (i.e. they experienced similar summer and winter temps at equivalent latitudes). But as the map of monthly average temps shows, the Southern Hemisphere is significantly warmer in the winter. Only Antarctica and a few other tiny regions experience winter like the northern-most latitudes do. Interesting (at least, I think so).

 

[Neutron66]

Probably has something to do with the fact there's significantly less land mass in the southern hemisphere than the northern.

 

[No_Man]

Probably has something to do with the fact there's significantly less land mass in the southern hemisphere than the northern.

Probably. The colder temps definitely seem to follow the continental land masses. Water retains heat a lot better than earth does.

 

[LukeEl]

So that's how the Predator aliens see our planet 12 months a year.

 

[Thomas O'Malley]

Gasses go up, so they go to the North Pole and that's why it remains warmer there.
No seriously, I have no idea how to explain the phenomenon. :dunno:

 

[gunslingingbird]

The earth rotates around the sun in an ellipsoidal, rather than a circular, shape. This being the case, there is a point when the earth is closest to the sun, and another when it's farthest from it (I can't remember the exact difference, but the number 30,000 miles keeps coming up in my head). The northern hemisphere experiences summer at the point in the earth's rotation when it's farthest from the sun, and the southern hemisphere has summer when it's closest to the sun. That's why there's a difference in temperatures.

 

[No_Man]

The earth rotates around the sun in an ellipsoidal, rather than a circular, shape. This being the case, there is a point when the earth is closest to the sun, and another when it's farthest from it (I can't remember the exact difference, but the number 30,000 miles keeps coming up in my head). The northern hemisphere experiences summer at the point in the earth's rotation when it's farthest from the sun, and the southern hemisphere has summer when it's closest to the sun. That's why there's a difference in temperatures.

Wait... wouldn't that mean that, conversely, the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter when it's closest to to the sun and the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter when it's the farthest from the sun? So that would mean colder winters in the south than the north (which is the exact opposite of what happens)? Or did I get this screwed around somewhere?

 

[InkbyJ]

interesting map

 

[gunslingingbird]

Wait... wouldn't that mean that, conversely, the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter when it's closest to to the sun and the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter when it's the farthest from the sun? So that would mean colder winters in the south than the north (which is the exact opposite of what happens)? Or did I get this screwed around somewhere?

Your map itself will answer your question. Look at the polar regions. The Antarctic Circle remains purple or deep blue perpetually, while the Arctic Circle gets up to light blue in the summertime. There are human settlements north of 60°N, but there are no settlements (aside from a few controlled climate scientific stations) south of 60°S. That is because the Arctic Circle is warm enough for people to live in, but the Antarctic Circle is not.

 

[vodkazvictim]

I blame the Democrats.

 

[Jagger69]

It's a combination of the perihelion and aphelion aspects of earth's orbit as GSB mentioned exacerbated by the water-to-land ratio as No_Man suggested. Cool map....I'd rep you if they would let me!

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

It's because all Southerners are pussies.

 

[gunslingingbird]

It's a combination of the perihelion and aphelion aspects of earth's orbit as GSB mentioned exacerbated by the water-to-land ratio as No_Man suggested. Cool map....I'd rep you if they would let me!

Thank you. I couldn't think of the proper terminology.

 

[Facetious]

It's because all Southerners are pussies.

Swarthy maybe, but pussies, that's debatable.

 

[maildude]

It looks a lot different on Garmin.

 

[feller469]

I blame the Democrats.

A finely crafted rebuttal. You can sit in for Trump at the debate. cheers.

 

[grower_boy]

You can also notice that the warmest summers occur north of the equator as well, in the Sahara desert, Arabian penninsula and other nearby areas.