How to Create a Climograph Using Google Sheets

Overview

• Objective: Learn to create a climograph using Google Sheets.
• Data Used: Temperature and precipitation data for Toronto over one year.

Steps to Create a Climograph

Step 1: Data Selection

• Select the data including:
  • Month
  • Temperature
  • Precipitation

Step 2: Graph Selection

• Go to "Insert" and choose "Chart."
• Recommended Charts: By default, Google Sheets suggests recommended charts.
• Manual Selection:
  • Choose "More" options.
  • Select "Combo Chart" under the "Line" chart category.
  • Outcome: Displays both data sets with one as a line graph and the other as a bar graph.

Step 3: Customize the Chart

Chart Title and Axis

• Add a chart title: Example - "Toronto, Canada."
• Add a horizontal axis title: Example - "Month."
  • Adjust the angle for better fitment of month labels.

Series Adjustment

• View Mean Temperature on the left axis (usually in Fahrenheit).
• Mean Precipitation can be adjusted to appear on the right axis.
• Ensure different colors for the bar and line graphs for clarity.

Step 4: Adjust Vertical Axes

Left Vertical Axis

• Title: Add a suitable title for temperature.
• Scale: Set the minimum to 0 and the maximum to 80.

Right Vertical Axis

• Title: Add a title for precipitation, typically in inches.
• Scale: Set the minimum to 0 and the maximum to 4.

Finalizing

• Ensure all titles, axis labels, and the graph are correctly displayed.
• Click "Insert" to finalize the graph.

Conclusion

• The climograph with dual scale axes is now ready and visually represents the temperature and precipitation data for Toronto effectively.