middle latitudes
{{Short description|Spatial region on Earth}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2019}}
File:Extratropical formation areas.jpg formation areas]]
The middle latitudes, also called the mid-latitudes (sometimes spelled midlatitudes) or moderate latitudes, are spatial regions on either hemisphere of Earth, located between the Tropic of Cancer (latitude {{circle of latitude|tropical}}) and the Arctic Circle ({{circle of latitude|polar}}) in the northern hemisphere and between the Tropic of Capricorn (-{{circle of latitude|tropical}}) and the Antarctic Circle (-{{circle of latitude|polar}}) in the southern hemisphere.{{Cite web |title=Weather & Climate Change: Climates around the world |url=http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/climate/worldclimates/temperate.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414115206/http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/climate/worldclimates/temperate.asp |archive-date=14 April 2016 |website=Education Scotland}}{{Cite web |last=Service |first=NOAA's National Weather |title=Glossary - NOAA's National Weather Service |url=https://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=Middle+Latitudes |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=w1.weather.gov |language=EN-US}} They include Earth's subtropical and temperate zones, which lie between the two tropics and the polar circles. Weather fronts and extratropical cyclones are usually found in this area, as well as occasional tropical cyclones or subtropical cyclones, which have traveled from their areas of formation closer to the Equator.{{Cite web|url=https://www.climateprediction.net/climate-science/glossary/mid-latitudes/|title=Mid-latitudes {{!}} climateprediction.net|website=www.climateprediction.net|access-date=2019-10-22|archive-date=2019-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022202029/https://www.climateprediction.net/climate-science/glossary/mid-latitudes/|url-status=dead}}
The prevailing winds in the middle latitudes are often very strong. These parts of the world also see a wide variety of fast-changing weather as cold air masses from the poles and warm air masses from the tropics constantly push up and down over them against each other, sometimes alternating within hours of each other, especially in the roaring forties (latitudes between 40° and 50° in both hemispheres){{citation needed|date=March 2022}}, even though the winds on the northern hemisphere are not as strong as in the southern hemisphere, due to the large landmasses of North America, Europe and Asia.{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=What are the Roaring Forties? |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/roaring-forties.html |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=oceanservice.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}
There are six types of mid-latitude climates consisting of: mediterranean, desert, humid subtropical, oceanic, humid continental and subarctic.{{Cite web|url=https://geography.name/midlatitude-climates-group-ii/|title=Midlatitude Climates (Group II)|website=geography.name|access-date=2019-10-22}}