[Image:Koppen World Map Dfa Dwa Dsa Dfb Dwb Dsb.png|thumb|right|500px|Humid continental climate worldwide A humid continental climate (Köppen prefix D and a third letter of a or b) is a climatic region defined by Russian German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, which is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is usually well distributed through the year. The definition of this climate regarding temperature is as follows: the mean temperature of the coldest month must be below and there must be at least four months whose mean temperatures are at or above . In addition, the location in question must not be semi-arid or arid.