Climate of Sonaran Desert

Sonoran Desert Climate
Dry Tropical Climate (BW)

The sunlight of the Sonoran desert changes during the day and it gets hotter. Seasonal temperatures range from an average of 52º F in the winter, to 86º F in the summer. In some seasons the temperatures can reach 32º F at night. In some portions of the desert, near the tip of Mexico, the temperature can reach a high of 134º F in the shade.

The Sonoran desert is one of the wettest deserts in North America and averages from 3 to 16 inches of rain a year. It has two rainy seasons, one in the summer and another in the winter. The summer rains are short and heavy and are often followed by a rainbow. The winter rains are longer and lighter and are more widespread.

There are a lot of sand dunes and grasses in the desert. There are also a lot of cacti, herbs, thorny and thornless shrubs. The creosote bush is the most common plant, and the saguaro cactus is the largest and the most conspicuous plant in the desert.

Many desert animals, such as bighorn sheep, pocket mouse, and pronghorn antelope (an endangered species) use cacti and other vegetation as a shelter from harsh weather and as a source of water. The bighorn sheep has adapted to the desert, because it has big feet, good for the rough terrain, and only needs to drink every few days. The pocket mouse has adapted to the desert, because it is very small, is sand colored, and can run fast from predators. It also doesn't need to drink because it gets all the water it needs from the food it eats and retains its urine.

The latitude of the Sonoran Desert ranges from 25º to 33º North, and the longitude ranges from 105º to 110º West.

The Köppen classification of this climate is BWh, where B stands for a dry climate, BW stands for an arid climate with annual precipitation usually less than 15 inches (40 cm.), and h stands for a dry and hot climate with a average annual temperature over 65° F.

Even though the Sonoran desert is one of the hottest North American deserts, it has lots of diverse vegetation and wildlife due to its two rainy seasons.
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