Climate zones in Armenia, 1991 to 2020
Share of Armenia's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 45,131 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 29,558 km²).
By major group: D (cold (continental)) 89%, B (arid) 8.6%, C (temperate) 2.1%, E (polar) 0.2%.
Dfb, warm-summer humid continental, is the main climate of Armenia, covering 62% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, with Dfc (subarctic (boreal)) next at 13%. In plain terms, warm-summer humid continental means warm summers and cold, snowy winters, with rain all year. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 40% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to Dfa (hot-summer humid continental).
How Armenia's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 18% | 3.9% | Dfb +2.3 percentage points | Dfc -5.6 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 25% | 4.6% | Dfa +5.9 percentage points | Dfc -8.4 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 40% | 8.9% | Dfa +9.7 percentage points | Dfc -10.9 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 80% | 20% | Dfa +29.3 percentage points | Dfb -39.7 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | 60% | 62% | 65% | 55% | 22% |
| Dfc Subarctic (boreal) | 18% | 13% | 4.2% | 1.7% | 0.1% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 7.2% | 8.6% | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 5.5% | 5.6% | 2.4% | 3% | 2.3% |
| Dfa Hot-summer humid continental | 5.3% | 5.1% | 11% | 15% | 35% |
| Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer | 2% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 6.2% | 11% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 0.3% | 1.8% | 4.6% | 6.7% | 12% |
| Dsc Subarctic with dry summer | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% | - |
| ET Tundra | 0.8% | 0.2% | - | - | - |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 0.1% | 0.1% | - | - | - |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | - | 0.1% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 3% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | - | - | - | - | 0.7% |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Armenia and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Yerevan | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
Zones found in Armenia
- Dfb Warm-summer humid continental
- Dfc Subarctic (boreal)
- BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe)
- Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer
- Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
- Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer
- Cfa Humid subtropical
- Dsc Subarctic with dry summer
- ET Tundra
- Cfb Temperate oceanic
- Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Dfb. See data sources and licences.