Science
Lesson Plan

Climate of Nepal

Learning Objective:
Identify and explain earth’s climate systems.

Teacher Directions:
Climate is the average weather conditions over long periods of time. Nepal’s climate varies from cool summers and severe winters in the north to subtropical summers and mild winters in the south. Here is a chart showing the average temperatures and precipitation in Kathmandu, Nepal. Notice the latitude reading for Kathmandu below.

MONTH	AVG. HIGH	AVG. LOW	AVG. PRECIPITATION
Jan.	60	40	0.7
Feb.	63	44	0.6
March	70	50	1.2
April	77	57	1.5
May	79	63	4.0
June	80	69	7.9
July	79	70	14.8
Aug.	79	70	12.8
Sept.	78	67	7.4
Oct.	74	59	2.2
Nov.	68	49	0.1
Dec.	61	42	0.4

Latitude: 27 degrees, 42 minutes north
Longitude: 85 degrees, 22 minutes east

Latitude is certainly one factor impacting the climate of an area. Topography, wind patterns, and proximity to bodies of water also play roles.

Look on a world map or globe to find cities around the world that have similar latitudes as Kathmandu (27 degrees north). Write those cities in column one of the Chart*.

Then look up those cities at the USA Today World Weather Almanac site to view monthly temperature and precipitation data. How similar or different are their climates than Kathmandu’s climate? Use columns two and three on the Chart* to notate the similarities and differences. Why are some similar and some very different? What other factors besides latitude seems to be affecting the climate of the other places?

Resources:
World Weather Almanac

Activity Sheet:
Chart*

Assessment:
Science Assessment Sheet*