O climate from the Southeast regionit is very diverse and non-homogeneous, which is mainly due to its location in the Brazilian territory and the action of several climatic factors, such as altitude, relief and air masses. This region of Brazil has very hot and dry climates, such as the semi-arid climate in northern Minas Gerais. Gerais, to mild and rainy climates, such as the subtropical climate that is present in the south of the state of São Paul. Intermediating between these contrasting climatic occurrences, there are the climates: Atlantic tropical, altitude tropical and typical tropical, which covers a larger area of the Southeast.
Read too:Serra do Mar — set of mountains and hills on the coast of Southeast and South Brazil
Topics of this article
- 1 - Summary of the climate of the Southeast region
- 2 - What is the climate of the Southeast region?
- 3 - Characteristics of the climate of the Southeast region
- 4 - Factors that influence the climates of the Southeast region
- 5 - Relationship between vegetation and climate in the Southeast region
Summary on the climate of the Southeast region
The Southeast region has five types of climate: dry and humid tropical, altitude tropical, Atlantic tropical, semi-arid, and subtropical.
The dry and humid tropical climate (or typical tropical) is predominant in terms of area of occurrence, present in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. It is characterized by the presence of two well-defined seasons: dry winter and rainy summer.
The high-altitude tropical climate is typical of the higher areas of the Southeast region, being marked by mild temperatures most of the year and cold winters, in addition to high rainfall in the summer.
The Atlantic tropical climate occurs on the coast of the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and is characterized by high air humidity and recurrent rainfall.
The semi-arid climate is present in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, distinguished by low air humidity and irregular rainfall.
The subtropical climate occurs mainly in the south of the state of São Paulo, close to the border with Paraná, in the southern region of Brazil. It is characterized by mild temperatures and rainfall well distributed throughout the year.
Altitude, latitude, relief and air masses are the main factors that influence the climates of the Southeast region.
The vegetation that covers the Southeast region is directly related to the climates that occur in that region. Wetter areas have dense forest cover, with emphasis on the Atlantic Forest. Areas with an alternately dry and humid climate have vegetation adapted to this regime, such as that found in the Cerrado.
What is the climate of the Southeast region?
The Southeast region of Brazil presents five different types of weather, three of them being tropical climate variations:
dry and humid tropical;
highland tropical;
Atlantic tropical;
semiarid;
subtropical.
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Characteristics of the climate of the Southeast region
Tropical dry and humid climate: it is also known as typical tropical and it is the predominant climate in the Brazilian territory. In the Southeast region, the tropical climate is present in the western part of the territories, especially in areas bordering with the states of the Midwest region. Therefore, this type of climate can be found in the central, western and northwestern portions of the state of São Paulo and in the western and northern part of the state of Minas Gerais.
The typical tropical climate is the one that has the greatest territorial coverage in the Southeast region. Its main feature is the alternation between dry and rainy seasons., which correspond, respectively, to winter and summer.
Winters in the typical tropical climate are mild, in addition to registering rainfall that can be less than 20 mm. In this season, temperatures are around 18ºC. Summers are the opposite, with average temperatures of 25ºC and high rainfall, especially between November and March. Annually, tropical climate locations in the Southeast receive about 1500 mm of rain.
High altitude tropical climate: is a variation of tropical, and occurs only in the Southeast region of Brazil. It receives this name because it is present in the highest areas of the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, being characteristic of the so-called mountain regions or land with an altitude equal to or greater than 800 meters.
The highland tropical climate, unlike the typical tropical one, has mild temperatures throughout the year thanks to the action of the climatic factor altitude, which is preponderant over latitude. Therefore, this climate is characterized by mild summers and cold winters, with average temperatures varying between 15 ºC and 22 ºC, with minimums that can be below 10 ºC and maximums that can reach the 30ºC.
On the coldest days of the year, is common to occurrence of frost in some localities. This phenomenon is characterized by a thin layer of ice that forms on surfaces exposed to the weather, such as bare soil or vegetation itself. Another important aspect of the high-altitude tropical climate found in the Southeast is the greater incidence of rainfall during the months corresponding to spring and summer. Approximately 1500 mm of rainfall is recorded annually. To learn more about this type of weather, click here.
Atlantic tropical climate: occurs in the Southeast and covers the entire east coast of Brazil, making it present, then, in coastal cities from the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. One of its main features is the high moisture content conditioned by the proximity to the sea. Therefore, the rains are recurrent and happen throughout the year, being more intense and voluminous during the summer months, especially in December and January. Temperatures in the Atlantic tropical climate vary between 20ºC and 25ºC, thus characterizing a low annual temperature range.
Semi-arid climate: it is present in municipalities located in the north of Minas Gerais, as is the case of Juvenília, the northernmost city in the state. The semiarid is a climate characterized by low air humidity and irregular rainfall, which accumulate volume between 250 mm and 750 mm per year. Temperatures are high throughout the year, averaging 27°C. Learn more about this climate by clicking here.
subtropical climate: it is a type of temperate climate that is present, in the Brazilian territory, in the localities located below the Tropic of Capricorn. The subtropical climate is identified in the south of the state of São Paulo, notably in cities on the border with the state of Paraná, such as Itararé.
The subtropical climate, unlike the previous ones, is marked by the distinction between the four seasons of the year, with hot summers and very cold winters, with temperatures that often drop below 10°C. The average annual temperature is around 18°C. The rains are plentiful and well distributed throughout the year, with an annual volume of 1200 mm to 1500 mm. In the coldest months of the year, the occurrence of frost is recorded. To learn more about this type of weather, click here.
See too: Polígono das Secas — area between the Northeast and Southeast regions that suffers from the semi-arid climate
Factors that influence the climates of the Southeast region
The climatic factors are the elements of the natural landscape and the atmosphere that interfere in the dynamics of the climate of a region. In the Southeast region, climates are influenced by the following factors:
Latitude: the Southeast region is almost entirely located in the intertropical zone of the planet Earth, where warm climates predominate and which has at least one rainy season. The small portion located in the temperate zone, below the Tropic of Capricorn, has a subtropical climate.
Altitude: it is a climatic factor that overlaps with latitude, considering that it interferes with atmospheric pressure and temperature. With that, even being in an area with a tropical climate, the highest cities in the Southeast have mild temperatures caused by the difference in altitude in relation to the others, thus characterizing the tropical climate of altitude.
Maritime and continentality: the proximity to the coast, that is, to the sea, makes the coastal cities of the Southeast of the country have a climate with higher moisture content, which helps to maintain temperatures and low amplitude thermal. In addition, daytime and nighttime breezes are fundamental to the dynamics of the climate in these areas, also providing temperature and humidity control. Areas farther from the coast, where the continentality factor weighs, are drier. To learn more about these two factors, click here.
Air masses: the climates of the Southeast region are influenced by air masses, responsible for carrying moisture and promoting changes in local temperature. The masses with greater strength in summer are the tropical continental mass (mTc) and the tropical Atlantic mass (mTa), the first being hot and dry and the second hot and humid. The continental equatorial mass (mEc) manages to carry the Amazonian humidity to some regions of the country, including the Southeast, which also happens in the warm months. In winter, the Atlantic polar mass (mPa) advances over the Southeast region, causing cold fronts and frontal rains.
Relief: In addition to altitude, another aspect of the landscape that affects the climate is the relief. The relief of the Southeast interferes with the distribution of moisture from the coast to the interior, since formations such as Serra do Mar, for example, act as orographic barriers that block the passage of moisture and wind that blow from the ocean towards the continent; in addition to causing orographic rains in locations located on the humid side, where the winds rise.
Relationship between vegetation and climate in the Southeast region
Climate and vegetation are two elements that are directly correlated, bearing in mind that the development and type of vegetation cover present in an area depend on factors such as luminosity and humidity, acquired by the incidence of rainfall.
In areas where there is a predominance of dry and humid tropical climate in the Southeast region, the presence of vegetation is identified. typical of the Cerrado biome, what presents adaptations both to the heat and to the periods in which there is a greater scarcity of rainfall and in which air humidity can reach very low levels, well below 30%. In the north of the state of Minas Gerais, where the semi-arid climate is found, the vegetation adapts to prolonged periods of drought, being characteristic of the Caatinga biome.
In contrast to the typical tropical climate, in areas with tropical highland and tropical Atlantic climates, where the availability of moisture is greater and the rains are more recurrent, the formation of forests is observedrainforests and seasonal forests, which are part of the Atlantic Forest biome.
Sources
AYOADE, J. O. Introduction to climatology for the tropics. Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brazil, 1996. 4 ed. 332p. Translation by Maria Juraci Zani dos Santos.
DE ALBUQUERQUE CAVALCANTI, Iracema Fonseca; FERREIRA, Nelson Jesuz. Climate of Brazilian regions and climate variability. São Paulo: Text Workshop, 2021.
IBGE. School geographic atlas. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE, 2018, 8 ed. 224p.
LUCCI, Elian Alabi. Territory and society in a globalized world, 1: secondary education. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2016. 289p.
MOREIRA, Igor. The geographical space: general geography and Brazil. São Paulo: Editora Ática, 47th edition, 3rd reprint. 455p.
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