What is annual temperature range?

The concept of annual temperature range specifically refers to the difference between the highest and lowest average temperatures measured during the warmest and coldest months of the year. This measurement is significant in understanding climate patterns within a specific region, as it highlights the extremes of temperature variation that occur seasonally.

In many geographical contexts, annual temperature range can indicate the continentality of a location—how much a region's temperature varies throughout the year. Areas with a large temperature range are often further from oceans, which have a moderating effect on temperatures, whereas regions close to large bodies of water usually experience a smaller annual temperature range due to the water's thermal properties.

The other options do not accurately define this concept. The average temperature of a season simply sums temperatures over that period rather than highlighting extremes. The highest temperature recorded annually focuses only on the peak without considering the coldest time. The average of daily temperatures over a year fails to capture the essential difference between the warmest and coldest months that defines the annual temperature range.