Factors driving the Gulf

South climate

Latitude
NOLA is 30 North and 90 West (one third of the planet)
Only 6.5 from the tropics
Summer solstice suns rays strike Tropic of Cancer 23.5 North at a 90 angle
In New Orleans, the rays strike 83.5
Latitude-sun angle
Sun angle-Solar radiation
Solar radiation-increases temperature
If latitude was only Factor, we would have the same climate as Cairo Egypt which is also
30 North
Climate: Long term
Weather: at any given time
Anthropocentric perspective: climate: inanimate atmospheric conditions produced by
local, Continental, or global processes
Example: hot, humid, Pleasant, frightening

Factors driving the golf South

climate
1. Latitude
2. Position with regard to water bodies
3. Continental position
4. Topography- or lack thereof
.Water-stabilized temperature (heat sink, stores heat)
.Water a source of water molecules and humidity
.Cooler land surfaces

Climate of GS

Tropic Maritime (humid) air masses rising from Gulf of Mexico

+
Temperate continental (dry) air masses blowing in from interior fronts
=
Climate of the Gulf South
Descriptions
Humid subtropical
Both maritime (warm and wet) and continental (dry and cold)
A climate punctuated by fronts particularly during October to March
Prone to annual freezes, 280 day growing season (Nov-March)
63 inches of rain annually; most in July to August and least in October to November
Snow once or twice per decade
Tropical storms roughly annually

How hurricanes form

North Atlantic Gyre
Gulf stream takes warm water and brings it to the north Atlantic drift
current then to Canary Current then to the north equilateral current
In the shape of triangular trade

Factors
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80F and water deep and high humidity

Convergent wins create a disturbance and thunderstorm; a tropical wave
Upward flow of warm disturbed humid air cloud formation
Outward flow of air at top of system which draws up more air from below
No upper level winds to cut of
Northern equilateral current to steer it into Gulf