The taiga climate is dominated by cold arctic air. Winds bring bitterly cold air from the Arctic Circle. Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away from the sun in the winter. Less of the sun's radiation reaches the ground to warm it up, and the days are shorter, receiving less light. However, during the summer, the taiga receives more light and thus leads to hotter days.
Winter lasts for six to seven months and involves frigid temperatures usually ranging from -65 degrees F to 30 degrees F. The average winter precipitation is from 20 to 40 inches and is mostly snow. Spring marks the coming of flowers, melting of ponds, and return of animals from hibernation. Summer follows as a rainy, hot, and short season in the taiga. Rain creates about 10 to 20 inches of precipitation to the taiga in the summer, when temperatures usually range from 30 degrees F to 70 degrees F. Finally, fall is the shortest season in a taiga. The average precipitation in a taiga per year is about 40 inches, and the temperature is about 32 degrees F.
Soil in the taiga is acidic an low in nutrients, yet becomes more fertile in lowland areas. A number of crops such as wheat, barley, oats, and canola are grown in the taiga regions.
Here is a sample climograph of a taiga.
