The climate of the Southeast region is generally warm and sunny. The summers are usually hot, long, and humid. The winters in the Southeast are short and often mild with some snowfall and freezing temperatures in northern areas. Spring and autumn are climatic transition periods.

meters (6000 feet)—the highest elevations in the Southeast. The major peaks (Clingmans Dome is highest at 2025 meters [6644 feet], followed by Mount Guyot and Mount Le Conte) have smaller ridge spurs radiating from their central peaks, forming steep-sided, V-shaped valleys (Figure 4.8).

The upper part and the lower part of Southeast region have very different landforms. The states in the upper part of the region have rolling hills, rich river valleys and high flat areas called plateaus. The states in the lower part of the region have beaches, swamps, and wetlands.

9 climate zones

The Earth has three main climate zones: tropical, temperate, and polar.

Weather conditions are determined by six major factors: air temperature, air pressure, humidity of the air, amount and kind of cloud cover, amount and kind of precipitation, and speed and direction of the wind.

Factors Affecting Global Climate

• Atmospheric Circulation. The sun’s rays provide both light and heat to Earth, and regions that receive greater exposure warm to a greater extent.
• Ocean Currents. Earth’s rotation affects the oceans in a similar manner, setting up currents that flow within the ocean basins.
• Global Climate.
• Biogeography.

Natural climate drivers include changes in the sun’s energy output, regular changes in Earth’s orbital cycle, and large volcanic eruptions that put light-reflecting particles into the upper atmosphere.

Directly or indirectly, the sun provides energy for living organisms, and it drives our planet’s weather and climate patterns. Because Earth is spherical, energy from the sun does not reach all areas with equal strength.