View source for Tropical savanna climate

{{short description|Climate subtype}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_v2_Aw_1991–2020.svg|thumb|upright=2|Worldwide zones of Tropical savanna climate (Aw/As)]]
'''Tropical savanna climate''' or '''tropical wet and dry climate''' is a [[tropical climate]] sub-type that corresponds to the [[Köppen climate classification]] categories '''''Aw''''' (for a dry "winter") and '''''As''''' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than {{convert|60|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} of precipitation and also less than <math display="inline">100-\left (\frac{\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25} \right)</math>mm of precipitation.<ref name=McKnight>{{cite book | last1=McKnight | first1=Tom L | last2=Hess | first2=Darrel | year=2000 | chapter=Climate Zones and Types | title=Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation | location=Upper Saddle River, New Jersey | publisher=Prentice Hall | isbn=978-0-13-020263-5 | chapter-url-access=registration | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/physicalgeographmckn | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/physicalgeographmckn }}</ref>{{rp|200–1}}

This latter fact is in a direct contrast to a [[tropical monsoon climate]], whose driest month sees less than {{cvt|60.|mm}} of precipitation but has ''more'' than <math display="inline">100-\left (\frac{\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25} \right)</math> of precipitation. In essence, a tropical savanna climate tends to either see less overall rainfall than a tropical monsoon climate or have more pronounced dry season(s). It is impossible for a tropical savanna climate to have more than {{cvt|2,500|mm}} as such would result in a negative value in that equation.

In tropical savanna climates, the dry season can become severe, and often drought conditions prevail during the course of the year. Tropical savanna climates often feature tree-studded grasslands due to its dryness, rather than thick jungle. It is this widespread occurrence of tall, coarse grass (called savanna) which has led to Aw and As climates often being referred to as the tropical savanna. However, there is some doubt whether tropical grasslands are climatically induced. Additionally, pure savannas, without trees, are the exception rather than the rule.

==Versions==
There are generally four types of tropical savanna climates:

* Distinct [[wet season|wet]] and [[dry season]]s of relatively equal duration. Most of the region's annual rainfall is experienced during the wet season and very little precipitation falls during the dry season.
* A lengthy dry season and a relatively short wet season. This version features seven or more dry season months and five or fewer wet season months. There are more variations within this version:
**On one extreme, the region receives just enough precipitation during the short wet season to preclude it from a [[semi-arid climate]] classification. This drier variation of the tropical savanna climate is typically found adjacent to regions with hot semi-arid (''BSh'') climates, such as seen in places like India, the Sahel region in Africa and Brazil.
**On the other extreme, the climate features a lengthy dry season followed by a short but extremely rainy wet season. However, regions with this variation of the climate do not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to qualify as a [[tropical monsoon climate]] (''Am''). These can be found near tropical monsoon climates such as in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
* A lengthy, moderately wet season and a relatively short dry season. This version features seven or more wet season months and five or fewer dry season months. This version's precipitation pattern is similar to precipitation patterns observed in some tropical monsoon climates (as well as [[subhumid temperate climate]]s farther poleward) but does not experience enough rainfall during the wet season to be classified as such, while the rainfall in the dry season is just low enough to preclude a [[tropical rainforest climate]] (''Af'') and temperatures in the winter months are warm enough to preclude a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cwa'') or [[subtropical highland climate]] (''Cwb'') classification. This is often found near the poleward margins of the tropical savanna climates.
* A dry season with a noticeable amount of rainfall followed by a rainy wet season. In essence, this version mimics the precipitation patterns more commonly found in a tropical monsoon climate, but do not receive enough precipitation during either the dry season or the year to be classified as such.

== Distribution ==
[[File:Subtropical semi-evergreen seasonal forest in Northern Thailand.JPG|thumb|Dry forest in Thailand]]
[[File:Elephant herd (5912064891).jpg|thumb|Savanna in South Sudan]]
Tropical savanna climates are most commonly found in [[Africa]], [[Asia]], [[Central America]], and [[South America]]. The climate is also prevalent in sections of northern [[Australia]], the Pacific Islands, in extreme southern [[North America]] in [[south Florida]], and some islands in the [[Caribbean]]. Most places that have this climate are found at the outer margins of the [[tropics|tropical zone]], but occasionally an inner-tropical location (e.g., [[San Marcos, Antioquia|San Marcos]], [[Antioquia department|Antioquia]], [[Colombia]]) also qualifies. Similarly, the Caribbean coast, eastward from the [[Gulf of Urabá]] on the [[Colombia]] – [[Panama|Panamá]] border to the [[Orinoco]] [[river delta]], on the Atlantic Ocean (ca. {{cvt|4,000.|km}}), have long dry periods (the extreme is the BSh climate (see below), characterized by very low, unreliable precipitation, present, for instance, in extensive areas in the [[Guajira Peninsula|Guajira]], and Coro, western Venezuela, the northernmost peninsulas in South America, which receive <{{cvt|300.|mm}} total annual precipitation, practically all in two or three months). This condition extends to the [[Lesser Antilles]] and [[Greater Antilles]] forming the Circumcaribbean dry belt. The length and severity of the dry season diminishes inland (southward); at the latitude of the Amazon river—which flows eastward, just south of the equatorial line—the climate is Af. East from the Andes, between the arid Caribbean and the ever-wet Amazon, are the [[Orinoco]] river [[Llanos]] or [[savanna]]s, from where this climate takes its name.

Sometimes ''As'' is used in place of ''Aw'' if the dry season occurs during the time of higher sun and longer days. This is typically due to a rain shadow effect that cuts off ITCZ-triggered summer precipitation in a tropical area while winter precipitation remains sufficient to preclude a [[hot semi-arid climate]] (''BSh'') and temperatures in the summer months are warm enough to preclude a [[Mediterranean climate]] (''Csa/Csb'') classification. This is the case in parts of [[Hawaii]], East Africa (Mombasa, Kenya, Somalia), Sri Lanka ([[Trincomalee]]) and coastal regions of Northeastern Brazil (from [[São Luís (Maranhão)|São Luís]]<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Thought, Action; Impact: Modes of Presentation to Enable an Immersive Reader-Response |publisher=Queensland University of Technology |first=Matthew P |last=Smart|year=2019 |doi=10.5204/thesis.eprints.127474 |doi-access=free }}</ref> through [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]] to [[Maceió]]) and southeast [[India]], for instance. The difference between "summer" and "winter" in such tropical locations is usually so slight that a distinction between an ''As'' and ''Aw'' climate is trivial. In most places that have tropical wet and dry climates, however, the dry season occurs during the time of lower sun and shorter days because of reduction of or lack of [[convection]], which in turn is due to the meridional shifts of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] during the entire course of the year, based on which [[Hemispheres of Earth|hemisphere]] the location sits.

== Cities with a tropical savanna climate ==
{{col-begin|width=75%}}
{{col-1-of-2}}
* [[Abidjan]], [[Ivory Coast]] (''Aw'')
* [[Abuja]], [[Nigeria]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bahir Dar]], [[Ethiopia]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwb'')
* [[Bamako]], [[Mali]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bangalore]], [[India]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bangui]], [[Central African Republic]] (''Aw'')
* [[Banjul]], [[The Gambia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Barranquilla]], [[Colombia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Belo Horizonte]], [[Brazil]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bhubaneswar]], [[Odisha]], [[India]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bissau]], [[Guinea-Bissau]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bobo-Dioulasso]], [[Burkina Faso]] (''Aw'')
* [[Brasília]], [[Brazil]] (''Aw'')
* [[Brazzaville]], [[Republic of the Congo]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bridgetown]], [[Barbados]] (''Aw'')
* [[Bujumbura]], [[Burundi]] (''Aw'')
* [[Cancún]], [[Mexico]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Am'')
* [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]] (''Aw'')
* [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], [[Colombia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Cape Coast]], [[Ghana]] (''Aw/As'')
* [[Chipita]], [[Zambia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]] (''As'', bordering on ''Aw'')
* [[Cotonou]], [[Benin]] (''Aw'')
* [[Cuernavaca]], [[Mexico]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwa'')
* [[Dar es Salaam]], [[Tanzania]] (''Aw'')
* [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], [[Northern Territory]], [[Australia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Denpasar]], [[Indonesia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Dhaka]], [[Bangladesh]] (''Aw'')
* [[Dili, East Timor|Dili]], [[East Timor]] (''Aw'')
* [[Dongfang, Hainan|Dongfang]], [[Hainan]], [[China]]  (''Aw'')
* [[Fortaleza]], [[Brazil]] (''As'')
* [[Guatemala City]], [[Guatemala]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwa'')
* [[Guayaquil]], [[Ecuador]] (''Aw'')
* [[Haikou]], [[Hainan]], [[China]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwa'')
* [[Havana]], [[Cuba]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Af'')
* [[Ho Chi Minh City]], [[Vietnam]] (''Aw'')
* [[Hyderabad]], [[Telangana]], [[India]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''BSh'')
* [[Jaffna]], [[Sri Lanka]] (''As'')
* [[Juba]], [[South Sudan]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kano (city)|Kano]], [[Nigeria]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kapalua]], [[Hawaii]], [[United States]] (''As'')
* [[Key West]], [[Florida]], [[United States]] (''Aw'')
* [[Khulna]], [[Bangladesh]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Am'')
{{col-2-of-2}}
* [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Jamaica]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''BSh'')
* [[Kigali]], [[Rwanda]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kinshasa]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kolkata]], [[India]] (''Aw'') 
* [[Kumasi]], [[Ghana]] (''Aw'')
* [[Kupang]], [[West Timor]], [[Indonesia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]] (''Aw'')
* [[Lanai City]], [[Hawaii]], [[United States]] (''As'', bordering ''Csb'') 
* [[Lomé]], [[Togo]] (''Aw'')
* [[Malanje]], [[Angola]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwa'' and ''Cwb'')
* [[Managua]], [[Nicaragua]] (''Aw'')
* [[Mandalay]], [[Myanmar]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''BSh'')
* [[Maputo]], [[Mozambique]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''BSh'')
* [[Mengla]], [[Yunnan]], [[China]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Cwa'')
* [[Minamitorishima]], [[Japan]] (''Aw'')
* [[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]] (''As'')
* [[Moundou]], [[Chad]] (''Aw'')
* [[Mumbai]], [[India]] (''Aw'', bordering on ''Am'')
* [[Naples, Florida|Naples]], [[Florida]], [[United States]] (''Aw'')
* [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]], [[Brazil]] (''As'')
* [[Nha Trang]], [[Vietnam]] (''As'')
* [[Nouméa]], [[New Caledonia]] (''As'')
* [[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]] (''Aw'')
* [[Port-au-Prince]], [[Haiti]] (''Aw'')
* [[Port Louis]], [[Mauritius]] (''Aw'')
* [[Port Moresby]], [[Papua New Guinea]] (''Aw'')
* [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil (''Aw'', bordering on ''Am'')
* [[San Cristóbal Island]], [[Ecuador]] (''Aw'')
* [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], [[Costa Rica]] (''Aw'')
* [[San Pedro Sula]], [[Honduras]] (''Aw'')
* [[San Salvador]], [[El Salvador]] (''Aw'')
* [[São Tomé]], [[São Tomé and Principe]] (''As'')
* [[Sanya]], [[Hainan]], [[China]] (''Aw'')
* [[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|St. John's]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]] (''Aw'')
* [[Surabaya]], [[Indonesia]] (''Aw'') 
* [[Tangail]], [[Bangladesh]] (''Aw'') 
* [[Tegucigalpa]], [[Honduras]] (''Aw'') 
* [[Townsville, Queensland|Townsville]], [[Queensland]], [[Australia]] (''Aw'') 
* [[Trincomalee]], [[Sri Lanka]] (''As'')
* [[Veracruz]], [[Mexico]] (''Aw'')
* [[Vientiane]], [[Laos]] (''Aw'')
* [[Wake Island]], [[United States]] (''Aw'')
* [[Yaoundé]], [[Cameroon]] (''Aw'')
* [[Ziguinchor]], [[Senegal]] (''Aw'')
{{col-end}}

==Some examples of tropical savanna climates==
{{Climate chart
|[[Banjul]], The Gambia
|15.7|31.7|0.5
|16.6|33.5|0.0
|17.9|33.9|0.0
|18.8|33.0|0.0
|20.3|31.9|1.3
|22.9|31.9|62.7
|23.6|30.8|232.4
|23.3|30.2|346.8
|22.6|31.0|255.1
|22.2|31.8|75.8
|18.8|32.7|1.6
|16.2|31.9|0.7
| float=left
| clear=none
|source=BBC Weather<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=140 |title=World Weather Information Service — Banjul |access-date=3 March 2020 }}</ref>
}}
{{Climate chart
|[[San Fernando de Monte Cristi|Monte Cristi]], Dominican Republic
|19.2|28.9|73.8
|19.6|29.4|47.3
|20.1|30.2|47.7
|21.1|30.5|59
|22.2|31.8|59.8
|23|33.3|40.1
|23.2|33.6|21.5
|23.3|33.8|28.1
|22.9|33.7|34.8
|22.4|32.7|67.7
|21.3|30.7|108.2
|19.8|29.2|84.1
| float=left
| clear=none
|source=NOAA<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/DR/78451.TXT | title = Station Name: MONTE CRISTI ... Country: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | website = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]}}</ref>
}}
{{Climate chart
|[[Brasília]], Brazil
| 17.4|26.9|241.4
| 17.4|26.7|214.7
| 17.5|27.1|188.9
| 16.8|26.6|123.8
| 15|25.7|39.3
| 13.3|25.2|8.8
| 12.9|25.1|11.8
| 14.6|27.3|12.8
| 16|28.3|51.9
| 17.4|27.5|172.1
| 17.5|26.6|238
| 17.5|26.2|248.6
| source =World Weather Information Service [http://worldweather.wmo.int/136/c00290.htm]|access-date=2013-01-13&cityname=Brasília-Brazil
| float=left
| clear=none
}}
{{Climate chart
|[[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], Australia
| 25.0|31.8|465.5
| 24.9|31.5|373.1
| 24.7|32.1|335.4
| 24.3|32.9|107.5
| 22.5|32.3|24.7
| 20.1|30.8|2.3
| 19.7|30.8|1.2
| 20.4|31.6|5.8
| 23.2|32.8|17.6
| 25.0|33.5|65.4
| 25.6|33.5|136.8
| 25.6|32.7|276.4
| source =[[Bureau of Meteorology|Australian Bureau of Meteorology]] [http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=014015&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal]|access-date=2019-08-03
| float=left
| clear=none
}}
{{Climate chart
|[[Tegucigalpa]], Honduras
|14.3|25.7|5.3
|14.5|27.4|4.7
|15.5|29.5|9.9
|17.1|30.2|42.9
|18.2|30.2|143.5
|18.2|28.6|158.7
|18.0|27.8|82.3
|18.0|28.5|88.5
|17.9|28.5|177.2
|17.6|27.3|108.9
|16.3|26.0|39.9
|15.0|25.4|9.9
| float=left
| clear=none
|source=WMO<ref name= WMO>{{cite web
| url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/133/c00283.htm | title = Weather Information for Tegucigalpa, Country: HONDURAS | website = [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]]}}</ref>
}}
{{climate chart
|[[Ho Chi Minh City]], Vietnam
|23.4|32.0|12
|23.1|32.7|8
|24.9|33.6|18
|26.4|34.5|57
|26.4|34.9|202
|25.5|33.5|224
|25.2|33.0|231
|25.1|32.9|219
|25.0|32.5|490
|25.0|32.3|340
|24.9|32.4|128
|24.3|31.6|41
|float=left
|clear=none
|source = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology [https://web.archive.org/web/20180722172120/http://ibst.vn/DATA/nhyen/QCVN%2002-2009%20BXD%20So%20lieu%20tu%20nhien.pdf]
}}
{{clear}}{{Climate chart|[[Bengaluru]], India|16.1|28.4|1.6|17.6|30.9|7.1|20.2|33.4|14.7|22.1|34.1|61.7|21.8|33.1|128.7|20.6|29.7|110.3|20.1|28.3|116.4|20.0|28.1|162.7|20.0|28.6|208.3|19.8|28.5|186.4|18.3|27.4|64.5|16.4|26.9|15.4|units=Metric|float=left|source = India Meteorological Department [https://cdsp.imdpune.gov.in/extremes_1991_2020/?stn=43295#]
}}

{{clear left}}

== See also ==
* [[Tropics]]
* [[Köppen climate classification]]
* [[Tropical marine climate]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Koppen}}
{{Seasons}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

[[Category:Köppen climate types]]
[[Category:Tropics|Climate, Savanna]]