Climate and Weather in Skyrim

Instead of looking at one particular region of Skyrim in this blog post, I will explore the weather and climate characteristics of Skyrim as a whole. For the most part, Skyrim is a cold place that receives most of its precipitation in the form of snow, and occasionally rain. The reason Skyrim exhibits such a cold climate is due to how far north it is, and the overall high altitude of the province.

Skyrim is the northernmost province of the continent of Tamriel

(Image from elderscrolls.wikia.com)

As seen in the map above, Syrim is very far north, and therefore has high latitude. The high latitude of Skyrim affects the temperature because of the way the sun shines on this part of the planet. Being so far north, Skyrim would have a smaller angle of incidence than places further south. The angle of incidence is how the certain areas of the planet get solar radiation. This small angle that the sun hits this northern part of the continent results in much more surface area in which the radiation is spread out over. This results in lower temperatures.

Another reason Skyrim exhibits such cold temperatures is the overall altitude of the province. Skyrim is very mountainous, and compared to the other provinces of Tamriel, sits at a much higher altitude. The reason high altitude places like Skyrim are colder is due to the environmental lapse rate or ELR. Basically, warm air parcels rise to higher elevations where the air pressure is much lower. When the warm air rises to low pressure areas it expands and cools.

A mountain range in Skyrim featuring peaks at very high altitudes. The mountains are cold because of low pressure, and cooling air parcels that rise to high altitudes. (image from playstationlifestyle.net)

Many day to day weather events can be observed in Skyrim as well. Rain, blizzards, cloud formations and fog are all common weather events that happen often in Skyrim.

Low-level stratocumulus clouds forming over a landscape in Skyrim. (Image from elderscrolls.wikia.com)

Clouds like these form when an air mass becomes saturated, meaning the relative humidity reaches 100%. There are four methods which cause clouds to develop. Orographic uplift can occur which means air rises due to elevated land, cool, and eventually becomes saturated. Convectional lifting forms clouds when air near the ground is heated, begins to rise, then expands and cools while becoming saturated. Convergence can form clouds when air masses come together. Usually the air masses have different characteristics which causes the warmer air mass to rise, cool, and become saturated. Finally radiative cooling can form clouds by the ground losing heat from the sun causing the air near the ground to cool. This results in surface fog.

A video of rainfall in Skyrim. Rain is a form of precipitation resulting from water droplets coalescing in clouds and becoming to heavy to be sustained by updraft, thus falling to the ground. (Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSON3yT25mQ)

In this picture we can see an example of  valley fog. The cold air is drifting down the mountainsides and into the valley below.(Image from pcgamer.com)

The generally cold climate and harsh weather events make Skyrim a tough place to live which is why the main population of Skyrim consists of the Nord people. Nords are large, hardy men and women who have a natural resistance to frost and cold. The climate in Skyrim allows for the grown of wheat (in warmer seasons) and snowberry, a hardy plant found growing in cold mountainous areas. Nordic Mead is also brewed exclusively in Skyrim due to the extreme cold temperatures required to brew it, as well as the availability of natural ingredients found here.