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Reasons for Low Temperature

All places on Earth experience temperature changes that correspond to the four seasons, as well as to night and day. Some regions experience lower, or colder, temperatures than other regions, even at the same time of year. There are several factors that affect low temperatures, which explains why lower temperatures exist and why temperatures in some regions are lower than others.

Seasons
- In the northern hemisphere, January and February tend to be the coldest months, while in the southern hemisphere July and August are the coldest. Seasons are caused by the Earth's orbit around the sun. The reason for these seasonal fluctuations is Earth's axial tilt. Rather than being oriented straight up and down, earth is tilted at an approximately 22-degree angle. This means that the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun at one time of year, while the northern hemisphere is closer at the opposite time of year. Being closer and having more sunlight contribute to warmer temperatures in one hemisphere, while the opposite hemisphere experiences colder temperatures. The angle of Earth's tilt fluctuates and has been slowly decreasing for a long time. This change could result in less variation of temperature between the seasons sometime in the future.
Geography
- Geography has a major impact on the overall temperature in a specific region. This includes the region's distance from the equator, proximity to the ocean and topography. The sun is the most intense at the equator. The intensity decreases the farther away from the equator a region is, as does the temperature. Oceans also have a warming effect. Coastal regions are more temperate year-round, because the ocean breeze makes warmer weather cooler and cooler weather warmer. Mountains, valleys and other topographical features also affect the temperature of a region. Higher elevations experience cooler temperatures, which is why snow can often be seen on mountaintops even in the summer.
Global Winds
- There are three main wind patterns in the northern hemisphere and three in the southern hemisphere. Seasonally, these wind patterns shift direction, which results in air being pushed in different directions. Typically, winds from coastal regions are cooler and contain more moisture while winds originating inland tend to be hotter and drier. The temperature of these winds affects the temperature of the regions affected by them.
Time
- Climates change drastically at certain times in a planet's history. Periods of cooling and heating often occur, some more extreme than others. Earth last experienced its latest ice age in western Europe around 1850. This little ice age brought with it cooler weather, but it was nothing compared to the last major ice age that ended about 10,000 years ago. The Earth is currently going through a warming cycle, which is being helped along by global warming, so it may be a while before another cooling trend is seen.

Nature