Subtropical climate is the form of climate found immediately poleward of the zone of tropical climate.

There are various definitions of what characteristics make a climate "subtropical." Climatologist John Griffiths, for example, includes all places with a mean temperature in their coldest month of 6 °C (42.8°F) or warmer but colder than 18° C (64.4°F), while in Glenn Trewartha's scheme this climate is defined as having eight or more months with mean temperatures of 10 °C (50 °F) or warmer but with at least one month averaging colder than 18 °C.

Precise conditions vary tremedously within the subtropical climate zone, as it is one of the largest thermal climate zones on Earth. Precipitation traits may be humid, semiarid or arid (some of the world's great deserts fit into the category) and summers may be hot, or merely warm. Most places that have Mediterranean climates (with a pronounced dry season in the summer) are subtropical from a thermal standpoint.

See also

• Subtropical