The Climate of the USA
The USA possesses every variety
of climates from that of tropics to that of the Arctic regions. The weather
rages from the wet conditions of the Appalachian Highlands to the desert
conditions of some of some of the western states. The main land mass of the USA is in the temperate zone.
The climatic conditions are modified by the great mountains and winds. It is at
the same time one of the hottest and one of the coldest countries; one of the
wettest and one of the driest. The prevailing winds are from the west. Hot
winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons.
The coldest climate is
in the north where there is snow in winter and the temperature may go down to
40 degrees below zero. The south has a subtropical climate with temperatures as
high as 49 degrees in summer.
The average temperature
for January in the extreme north (exclusive of Alaska) is about 7 degrees, for July 15.5
degrees. The temperature of the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic. The rainfall is generally the
greatest in Washington, Oregon and Florida. Humidity is great in the southern
portion of Louisiana and the other places along the Gulf Coast.
The region around the Great Lakes is subject to extreme and rapid
changes in temperature and winds.
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