In choosing a city to compare and contrast I decided to choose a location that ranged on the complete opposite climate from Mombasa, Kenya’s location. So I choose Winnipeg, Canada; a location that sits at 49⁰53’58”N 97⁰08’21”W compared to Mombasa which sits at 4⁰2’S 39⁰37’E, the difference of latitude and longitude should make for some interesting differences in weather and climate. While both locations have relatively low elevations and humid conditions (although Winnipeg’s humidity isn’t nearly as high) there are no other similarities between Winnipeg and Mombasa.
Winnipeg has the Polar high pressure system that is a wet air mass. While Mombasa sits in the Inter-tropical convergence zone and sits in a tropical high pressure area. So while Winnipeg has one of the coldest and extreme environments, Mombasa has one of the warmest and moderate environments. Winnipeg, Manitoba sits at the center of the North American continent and this leaves it with a climate that is driven on continentality, it does have Lake Winnipeg that will affect the weather of the area. The lake sits 55 kilometers from the city. The 24,514 square kilometers like adds moisture to the air changes the albedo of the area and will cause a lake effect to the area. But, the area still has a high diurnal variation, especially when compared to Mombasa. While Winnipeg will have days each month with poor weather, Mombasa only has poor weather in very specific months. In Winnipeg the warmest month is July where the average high is 25⁰c and the low is 14⁰c. The coldest month is January where the high only reaches about 16⁰c while the lows drop to 25⁰c. This is a huge contrast to Mombasa where the warmest month is usually March where the average high is 33⁰c and the low is around 24⁰c. These temperatures are not much different from Mombasa’s coldest months of July and August where the average highs are about 28⁰c and the lows reach 20⁰c. The reason for these differences in average diurnal temperatures is because Mombasa sits on an ocean surrounded by water that will regulate and moderate the temperatures, while Winnipeg sits in the middle of a continent that allows for huge fluxes in the amount of energy being absorbed and released daily.
Mombasa, Kenya has a very temperate environment without much if any severe weather but Winnipeg is another story. Since all Mombasa experiences is the ITCZ which brings monsoons twice a year, Winnipeg has the meeting of two very different air masses (the continental polar air and the continental arctic) which causes a battle of weather. The movement of these air masses causes blizzards, tornadoes, and ice storms.