Weather is what is happening at any given time; it is transitory and subject to con-stant change. Due to the hot, dry summer climate, wildfires are common in temperate grasslands.

Climate speaks of the history and long term averages of weather and can tell a great deal about a specific location. The climate pattern is generally found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, normally at latitudes from 50 degrees to 70 degrees north pole-ward of the humid continental climates.

It lies between the Rio Grande in the south and the delta of the Mackenzie River at the Arctic Ocean in the north and between the Interior Lowland and the Canadian Shield on the east and the Rocky Mountains on the west. This area of grassland is typically located between a forest and a desert and may have a tropical or temperate climate, depending on its continent.

Rainfall varies from year to year in the prairies. A wide range of animals and birds live in the prairie biome. The prairie grasslands begin with the Great Plains Precipitation in the prairies can reach from about 12.6 inches in the shortgrass prairie to 21.7 inches in the tallgrass prairies. The extreme nature of climate on the prairies was first highlighted in relation to agricultural capacity during the 1856 expedition of Captain John Palliser (Spry 1959). Temperate grasslands located in colder regions also experience icy winters and blizzards. Great Plains, vast high plateau of semiarid grassland that is a major region of North America. These fires are usually sparked by lightning but are also the result of human activity. Köppen climate classification, widely used, vegetation-based, empirical climate classification system developed by German botanist-climatologist Wladimir Köppen.His aim was to devise formulas that would define climatic boundaries in such a way as to correspond to those of the vegetation zones that were being mapped for the first time during his lifetime. The prairie biome is a fascinating place, with grass as its main source of vegetation. Much of Earth's grassland has been lost to agricultural development, threatening wildlife. The Boreal Climate of Canada brings with it some of the most extreme seasonal temperature variations in the country. Weather Patterns of the Prairies Introduction "Weather is what you get; climate is what you expect" - (anon.) High winds generate sudden snowstorms that spread across the plains. Early European settlers of this eco-region were so impressed by these endless grasslands that they compared them to the ocean, and named their wagons "prairie schooners" after large ships of the time. Having spent a short time in the region, Palliser reported that southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, But solutions are emerging.

ph-prairie.jpg The rolling acres of grassland stretching across the center of the United States are a classic American image. The prairies were maintained in their natural state by climate, grazing and fire.