United States: Regions

CLIMATE . SEASONS Although the United States is primarily within a temperate zone, the country encompasses a wide range of topographies and climatic conditions. The extremes of tropical Hawaii and frigid Alaska add to the variety of conditions found in the United States. In general, the weather moves from west to east, carried by westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean, which gives the West Coast a moderate climate, while the desert, mountains, Great Plains, Midwest, the Great Lakes region, and the Atlantic coastal plain experience much greater extremes in temperature and precipitation. The Gulf of Mexico roughly influences the southeastern United States, which is warmer and more humid. Southern Florida has almost tropical conditions. Hurricanes in this region are common. REGIONS New York and Washington, D.C., on the Atlantic coastal plain have similar climates: below freezing temperatures in the winter, with January temperatures falling to -3°C (27°F). Spring is moderate, with temperatures of around 15°C (59°F) in April, and summer is warm and muggy, with July temperatures reaching 35°C (95°F). Prolonged heat spells at higher temperatures are not rare. Miami, on the southeast coast, is subtropical in climate and, like Houston on the Gulf of Mexico, is hot and humid. Cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, on the edge of the central Great Plains, have harsh winters with heavy snows offset by blistering hot summers. Los Angeles, on the southern Californian West Coast, has a Mediterranean-style climate, with only slight seasonal variation. San Francisco to the north is moderate year-round with moderate to heavy rains in winter and thick fog during the summer months in the city itself. To the north and south of the city, temperatures are mostly sunny and warm, with the occasional hot streak.