Due
to the immense size and spread of topology in the US
the climate is incredibly varied. If there is a "general" climate
then it is temperate, but it is also tropical in Florida
and Hawaii, arctic in Alaska, arid in the Great Basin
of the southwest and semi-arid in the Great Plains to the
west of the Mississippi River. The temperature range runs between the extremes of 57
degrees C during the summer months in California's Death
Valley to -62 degrees C in Alaska, with every other shade
in between.
The northern states are the coldest, with bitter, freezing
winters - especially in the plains, Midwest and Northeast.
Low temperatures in January and February in the Northwest
are occasionally tempered by warm chinook winds from the
eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
In contrast, the southern states are known as the Sunbelt,
where it rarely drops below freezing.
Hot summers are the norm throughout the US, except in
New England, Oregon and Washington state, all of which
are rainier and less predictable than the rest of the country.
Temperate states are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest,
while humidity is characteristic of the south, east coast
and Midwest (smog levels rise accordingly and can make
visiting some cities uncomfortable for those with respiratory
problems), and heatwaves common in the Southwest.
Spring and autumn (fall) conditions are generally mild,
warm and sunny - but also wet in some areas, particularly
the Pacific Northwest.
Tornado season arrives in the Midwest between April and
June, and hurricanes are common in early summer along the
southern East Coast and Gulf of Mexico coast - TV and radio
will broadcast warnings for both, but the chances of encountering
one on a short visit are remote.
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