Central America has intertropical climates due to its location, making several factors necessary in these areas for it to snow.such as the lack of humidity or little wind, in addition to the need for lower temperatures, which is why unless it is on a very high mountain, it will not be possible to see snow in the countries that are in the center of the American contains.
Due to the location of Central America and its intertropical climates, unless it is a very high mountain, snow does not fall regardless of the weather season in which the Central American countries are located. We better explain the climatic situations why snow is not generated in this area.
What is snow
Snow is a solid precipitation, this means that they are small ice formations that occur at temperatures below 0ºC, giving way to the absorption of water particles in the environment that, when united, form snowflakes. snow. This is why it needs two main conditions: low temperatures and high levels of humidity.
Precipitation in Central America
As we know, rain evaporates when it falls to the ground but, depending on the temperature, it can evaporate even before hitting the ground or turn into snow or hail on its way to the earth’s surface. Because precipitation comes in the form of raindrops, it is not possible for it to fall as snow.
In the mountains, cloud condensation occurs on the slope that is exposed to the windward, since this is where the air masses are conducted. And on the opposite side, the leeward side, the air arrives after having reached the cover, desiccated by the rains it released on its rise up the windward side.
How the geographical location of Central America affects
He defines whether or not there will be snow in the place, since the regions closest to the equator receive more rays from the sun directly due to their position, making the temperatures higher, preventing snow from falling. This makes us wonder why snow does not fall in Central America if it is far from the equator.
Central America is located in the middle of the two tropics, as its name indicates, it is in the center, this is where two types of climates mix, creating an intertropical zone, which is the warmest on our planet given the latitudes located. between the equator, which is possible due to the verticality of the solar radiation in the area.
Credit: NOAA.
Being in the center, the area is not close to the poles, and for this reason it receives the same amount of heat and sunlight throughout the year, which is why even though Central America gets cold in the winter, the temperatures They do not go below 10ºC. Temperatures drop more in areas with lower elevation, and in the warmest areas of the region, they exceed 32ºC, which is why the climate in this region is considered stable.
Some experts think that the lack of snow in Central America is also related to the clash of trade winds that are directed in different directions that extend along the equator, functioning as a differentiation between tropical climates.