Climate of Ukraine

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CLIMATE OF UKRAINE

Climate is the weather a certain place has over a long period of time. Climate has a very important influence on plants, animals and people, and it varies in different parts of the world.

The climate of any country is determined by its geographical position. Ukraine’s territory is in the temperate zone. In general, the country’s climate is moderately continental, subtropical only in the southern part of the Crimea. The differences in climate are caused by many factors: landscape, distance to seas and oceans … . The climate varies not only from north to south but also from northwest to southeast as the warm air masses are moving from the Atlantic Ocean.

The average temperature in Ukraine varies between +5, +7 °C in the north and +11, +13 °C in the south.

The coldest month is January with a record low of -42 °C. The warmest month is July with a record high of +42 °C. Rain and snow range from about 75 cm a year in the west to about 35 cm in the south. The highest rainfall is in the Carpathian and Crimean Mountains.

But recently the climate has changed a lot. Some scientists think the weather is getting hotter. Winters have become warmer. Sometimes there is little snow in January, and there were winters when it rained on New Year’s Eve in Ukraine.

Can these changes be dangerous for our country or even planet? The Earth is millions of years old. We know many of its secrets. Yet, there is still much to learn.

1) What does the text describe climate as?

2) What determines the climate of a country?

3) How does the temperature vary in Ukraine?