ABSTRACT
The transition zone between the trade wind and westerly circulations is represented on the eastern margins of continents by a type of climate which, while generally sharing the mild winters and hot summers of the Mediterranean climates, differs fundamentally in the amount and distribution of rainfall. The January isotherm of 43° has been taken as the poleward limit of the warm-temperate climates and this runs just south of the Yangtse; China north of this line would belong, by virtue of its cold winters, to the cool-temperate climates. The Continental Cyclones introduce a main factor into the winter climate, temporarily interrupting the dominance of the monsoon and upsetting the ideal regularity of the winds. A characteristic element of the climate is the tropical cyclone, here known as a typhoon, of which eight or nine may be expected in a year. They are most frequent in late summer and they affect chiefly Southern China.
