What is Humid-Continental Climate?
There’s a lot of things to think about when driving in a humid-continental climate, such as wondering what the heck a Humid-Continental Climate is. HCC is the interior of continents between 30–60 degrees latitude, usually above the 40 degree line north of the equator. These regions are less exposed to sunlight, so the temperature typically doesn’t get as warm when compared to the southern hemisphere.
One of the main attributes with HCC is a wide range of temperatures, so you’ll likely experience low cold temperatures and high warm temperatures. It’s also one of the few climates that experiences all four seasons in the year.
We made a driving guide for each season so you know what to do when the weather changes. Jim Sampson Motors also offers multiple services when you find yourself in need of making adjustments and changes to your Volkswagen vehicle for each season.
Warm and Humid Summer
During the summers, it’s always important to check your air conditioning’s performance before traveling. Not only does it help with overall comfort and convenience, but it also affect people who are in poor health or are sensitive to heat, so it’s best to check up on your vehicle’s A/C every summer.
If you still have winter tires on your vehicle, it’s also best to switch to your summer or all-season tires. Driving with winter tires during the summer deteriorates the threading on them easier because of the gravel, making it more difficult for you to drive in the ice & snow when the time comes.
Cool and Dry Autumn
Conversely, putting on winter tires during this time of the year is a great idea! Not only does it keep you ahead of the appointment-booking rush once the snow hits, but the leaves on the road can also freeze and get slippery along with black-ice exacerbating the problem.
Also, the climate during autumn is more prone to fogging making the roads less visible. This is a good opportunity to check whether your low beams are working, as your high beams reflect off the fog and make visibility worse.
Cold and Harsh Winter
The most important thing you can do while driving in the winter is to drive slow. The conditions make driving very difficult, and you’re much more prone to collisions. This is the best way to mitigate any accidents while you’re driving, along with keeping a watchful eye on the road.
And if you don’t have winter tires at this point, have them on soon. Winter tires were designed to provide better traction on ice and snow, as well as push water and slush out so it’s important to drive with them on.
Warm and Wet Spring
What’s important with driving in the spring is to not rid yourself of your winter accessories just yet. The weather in the springtime is very volatile and subject to changing back and forth between warm and cool. It’s best to keep your winter tires on until the temperatures average around 15 degree-Celsius in the week.
In the meantime, some things you can do to prep for the warm summers are to make sure your windshield wipers are working as well as maybe checking how your engine oil is doing. In addition, one thing you should watch out for while driving is for potholes on the road, since they typically form out of leftover hazards during the winter.
We hope this guide was helpful and that you know what to do when the seasons change (we’re also glad that we all know what HCC is now). From all of us at Jim Sampson Motors, have a safe drive! Come say hi at our showroom, or book an appointment with us if you think you need service for any of the topics we mentioned above. We’re available all-year round!