Plotting Climatographs
Name: ___________________________
Weather data for Single Years
Plot the temperature data for each year based on the data below. Put both sets of temperature data
on one graph (this is not a full climatograph since we are not including precipitation).
Weather Data for Toronto
1919
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
13
Average monthly
Temperature (°C)
-1.5
-2.1
1.0
5.9
22.5
22.9
20
17.5
11.7
3.5
-5.2
Average monthly
precipitation (mm)
26.4
48.5
81.3
73.7 130.8 69.1
81.3
55.1
48.5
75.7
41.4
25.4
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Average monthly
Temperature (°C)
-4.7
-3.8
-0.9
5.7
12.8
19.3
20.9
22.1
17.8
10.6
2.4
1.2
Average monthly
precipitation (mm)
74.6
44.2
44.4 106.2 92.4 126.2 123.2 47.4 202.4 75.8
1996
30.8 109.6
From the graph, what do you
notice about the temperatures in
1919 compared to 1996?
If you were to use this weather
information to draw conclusions
about climate , what would you
probably conclude?
Why is there a problem with using
information from single years to
discuss climate trends?
SNC2D Climate
1
Climate data for Different Periods
Plot two separate climatographs for Toronto for the two periods (1840-1859 and 1971-2000) based
on the data below. Draw the graphs side-by-side. Make sure the temperature and precipitation
scales are the same on the two graphs (to be able to make comparisons). Give the graphs
appropriate titles and labels. Use the sample in the “Constucting a Climatograph” exercise on page
270 of the text as a guide.
Climate Data for Toronto
1840 - 1859
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Average monthly
Temperature (°C)
4.6
5.9
1.1
5.0
10.7
16.2
19.5
18.9
14.4
7.3
2.5
3.3
Average monthly
precipitation (mm)
36
26
39
63
84
81
89
74
104
57
79
41
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
4.2
3.2
1.3
7.6
14.2
19.2
22.2
21.3
17.0
10.6
4.8
0.9
61
51
66
70
73
72
68
80
83
65
76
71
1971 - 2000
Average monthly
Temperature (°C)
Average monthly
precipitation (mm)
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper with an appropriate title.
1. Study each climatograph. Write a few sentences describing any trends you see in each graph
and whether or not the temperature and precipitation are related to each other.
2. Compare the two graphs. What do you notice about the temperatures and precipitation in the
earlier period (1840-1859) compared to the later period (1971-2000)?
3. If you were to use this information to draw conclusions about climate , what would you
probably conclude?
4. Why is this data better for assessing climate trends (compared to the data for the first part of
this exercise)?
SNC2D Climate
2