What is a Csa climate?

Unless you are a meteorologist (a person who studies the weather), it is unlikely that you will know that this is, in fact, a coded description of the climate of the Mediterranean regions. Devised by a Russian meteorologist, Vladimir Koppen, in the early 20th century, the code (see below) is based mainly on temperature and rainfall and is now used by climatologists throughout the world.

The climatologist’s code Main groups
A – tropical rainy climates
B – dry climates
C – mid-latitude climates
D – cold snowy climates
E – polar climates
H – mountain climates

Rainfall features of area
s – dry steppeland
w – desert
f – dry summers
m – marked rainy and dry seasons
s – dry summers
w – dry winters

Other symbols
a – hot summers
b – warm summers
c – cool summers
d – cold winters
h – hot and dry climates
k – cold and dry climates.