The U.S. state of Kansas is bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. The state is divided into 105 counties with 628 cities, with its largest county by area being Butler County. [1] Kansas is located equidistant from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The geographic center of the 48 contiguous states is in Smith County near Lebanon. Until 1989, the Meades Ranch Triangulation Station in Osborne County was the geodetic center of North America: the central reference point for all maps of North America. The geographic center of Kansas is in Barton County.
Kansas is underlain by a sequence of horizontal to gently westward dipping sedimentary rocks. A sequence of Mississippian, Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks outcrop in the eastern and southern part of the state. The state's western half has exposures of Cretaceous through Tertiary sediments, the latter derived from the erosion of the uplifted Rocky Mountains to the west. These are underlain by older Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments which correlate well with the outcrops to the east. The state's northeastern corner was subjected to glaciation in the Pleistocene and is covered by glacial drift and loess.
Kansas has been divided into eleven different physiographic regions. [3]
The western two-thirds of the state, lying in the great central plain of the United States, has a generally flat or undulating surface, while the eastern third has many hills and forests. The land gradually rises from east to west; its altitude ranges from 684 ft (208 m) along the Verdigris River at Coffeyville in Montgomery County, to 4,039 ft (1,231 m) at Mount Sunflower, 0.5 miles (0.80 kilometers) from the Colorado border, in Wallace County. It is a common misconception that Kansas is the flattest state in the nation—in 2003, a tongue-in-cheek study famously declared the state "flatter than a pancake". [4] In fact, Kansas has a maximum topographic relief of 3,360 ft (1,020 m), [5] making it the 23rd flattest U.S. state measured by maximum relief. [6]
Nearly 75 mi (121 km) of the state's northeastern boundary is defined by the Missouri River. The Kansas River (locally known as the Kaw), formed by the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers at appropriately-named Junction City, joins the Missouri River at Kansas City, after a course of 170 mi (270 km) across the northeastern part of the state.
The Arkansas River (pronunciation varies), rising in Colorado, flows with a bending course for nearly 500 mi (800 km) across the western and southern parts of the state. With its tributaries, (the Little Arkansas, Ninnescah, Walnut, Cow Creek, Cimarron, Verdigris, and the Neosho), it forms the southern drainage system of the state.
Kansas's other rivers are the Saline and Solomon Rivers, tributaries of the Smoky Hill River; the Big Blue, Delaware, and Wakarusa, which flow into the Kansas River; and the Marais des Cygnes, a tributary of the Missouri River. Spring River is located between Riverton and Baxter Springs.
Areas under the protection of the National Park Service include: [7]
In Kansas, there are currently 238 species of rare animals and 400 rare plants. [8] Among those include: Boechera laevigata , Virginia Rail, Cleft Ledge, Royal Fern, Turkey-tangle, Bobolink, Cave Salamander, Peregrine Falcon, and Black-footed ferret. [9] [10] Common animal species and grasses include: Crows, Deer, Lesser Prairie Chicken, Mice, Moles, Opossum, Prairie Dogs, Raccoon, Tripsacum dactyloides , Prairie Dropseed, Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Switch Grass, Northern Sea Oats, Tussock Sedge, Sideoats Grama, and Big Bluestem. [11] [12]
According to the Köppen climate classification, Kansas's climate can be characterized in terms of three types: it has humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The eastern two-thirds of the state (especially the northeastern portion) has a humid continental climate, with cool to cold winters and hot, often humid summers. Most of the precipitation falls during both the summer and the spring.
The western third of the state—from roughly the U.S. Route 83 corridor westward—has a semi-arid steppe climate. Summers are hot, often very hot, and generally less humid. Winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold. The western region receives an average of about 16 inches (410 millimeters) of precipitation per year. Chinook winds in the winter can warm western Kansas all the way into the 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) range.
The south-central and southeastern portions of the state, including the Wichita area, have a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, milder winters, and more precipitation than elsewhere in Kansas. Some features of all three climates can be found in most of the state, with droughts and changeable weather between dry and humid not uncommon, and both warm and cold spells in the winter.
Temperatures in areas between U.S. Routes 83 and 81, as well as the southwestern portion of the state along and south of U.S. 50, reach 90 °F (32 °C) or above on most days of June, July, and August. High humidity added to the high temperatures sends the heat index into life-threatening territory, especially in Wichita, Hutchinson, Salina, Russell, Hays, and Great Bend. Temperatures are often higher in Dodge City, Garden City, and Liberal, but the heat index in those three cities is usually lower than the actual air temperature.
Although temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher are not as common in areas east of U.S. 81, higher humidity and the urban heat island effect lead most summer days to heat indices between 107 °F (42 °C) and 114 °F (46 °C) in Topeka, Lawrence, and the Kansas City metropolitan area. Also, combined with humidity between 85 and 95 percent, dangerous heat indices can be experienced at every hour of the day.
Precipitation ranges from about 47 inches (1,200 mm) annually in the state's southeast corner to about 16 inches (410 mm) in the southwest. Snowfall ranges from around 5 inches (130 mm) in the fringes of the south, to 35 inches (890 mm) in the far northwest. Frost-free days range from more than 200 days in the south, to 130 days in the northwest. Thus, Kansas is the country's ninth or tenth sunniest state, depending on the source. Western Kansas is as sunny as parts of California and Arizona.
Kansas is prone to severe weather, especially in the spring and the early-summer. Despite the frequent sunshine throughout much of the state, due to its location at a climatic boundary prone to intrusions of multiple air masses, the state is vulnerable to strong and severe thunderstorms. Some of these storms become supercell thunderstorms; these can produce some tornadoes, occasionally those of EF3 strength or higher. Kansas averages more than 50 tornadoes annually. [13] Severe thunderstorms sometimes drop some very large hail over Kansas as well. Furthermore, these storms can even bring in flash flooding and damaging straight line winds.
According to NOAA, the all-time highest temperature recorded in Kansas is (121 °F or 49.4 °C) on July 24, 1936, near Alton in Osborne County, and the all-time low is −40 °F (−40 °C) on February 13, 1905, near Lebanon in Smith County. Alton and Lebanon are approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart. [14]
Kansas's record high of 121 °F (49.4 °C) ties with North Dakota for the fifth-highest record high in an American state, behind California (134 °F or 56.7 °C), Arizona (128 °F or 53.3 °C), Nevada (125 °F or 51.7 °C), and New Mexico (122 °F or 50 °C). [15] [16]
City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Concordia | 36/17 | 43/22 | 54/31 | 64/41 | 74/52 | 85/62 | 91/67 | 88/66 | 80/56 | 68/44 | 51/30 | 40/21 |
Dodge City | 41/19 | 48/24 | 57/31 | 67/41 | 76/52 | 87/62 | 93/67 | 91/66 | 82/56 | 70/44 | 55/30 | 44/22 |
Goodland | 39/16 | 45/20 | 53/26 | 63/35 | 72/46 | 84/56 | 89/61 | 87/60 | 78/50 | 66/38 | 50/25 | 41/18 |
Topeka | 37/17 | 44/23 | 55/33 | 66/43 | 75/53 | 84/63 | 89/68 | 88/65 | 80/56 | 69/44 | 53/32 | 41/22 |
Wichita | 40/20 | 47/25 | 57/34 | 67/44 | 76/54 | 87/64 | 93/69 | 92/68 | 82/59 | 70/47 | 55/34 | 43/24 |
Climate data for Topeka (Köppen Cfa/Dfa) [lower-alpha 1] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) | 84 (29) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 103 (39) | 109 (43) | 114 (46) | 113 (45) | 110 (43) | 97 (36) | 85 (29) | 77 (25) | 114 (46) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 63.0 (17.2) | 69.4 (20.8) | 78.7 (25.9) | 86.1 (30.1) | 90.2 (32.3) | 94.8 (34.9) | 99.7 (37.6) | 100.0 (37.8) | 93.7 (34.3) | 86.8 (30.4) | 74.5 (23.6) | 63.7 (17.6) | 101.8 (38.8) |
Average high °F (°C) | 39.9 (4.4) | 45.0 (7.2) | 56.4 (13.6) | 66.7 (19.3) | 75.9 (24.4) | 84.7 (29.3) | 89.5 (31.9) | 88.6 (31.4) | 80.4 (26.9) | 68.4 (20.2) | 54.6 (12.6) | 41.7 (5.4) | 66.1 (18.9) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 34.4 (1.3) | 44.8 (7.1) | 55.1 (12.8) | 65.0 (18.3) | 74.2 (23.4) | 79.0 (26.1) | 77.4 (25.2) | 68.4 (20.2) | 56.6 (13.7) | 43.8 (6.6) | 32.0 (0.0) | 55.0 (12.8) |
Average low °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 33.3 (0.7) | 43.5 (6.4) | 54.2 (12.3) | 63.7 (17.6) | 68.4 (20.2) | 66.2 (19.0) | 56.3 (13.5) | 44.7 (7.1) | 33.0 (0.6) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 44.2 (6.8) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.2 (−17.7) | 3.2 (−16.0) | 15.7 (−9.1) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 38.8 (3.8) | 50.4 (10.2) | 56.6 (13.7) | 53.4 (11.9) | 38.8 (3.8) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 16.7 (−8.5) | 3.1 (−16.1) | −6.3 (−21.3) |
Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) | −25 (−32) | −7 (−22) | 10 (−12) | 26 (−3) | 36 (2) | 43 (6) | 40 (4) | 29 (−2) | 16 (−9) | −5 (−21) | −26 (−32) | −26 (−32) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.86 (22) | 1.32 (34) | 2.49 (63) | 3.53 (90) | 4.91 (125) | 5.40 (137) | 3.82 (97) | 4.24 (108) | 3.66 (93) | 3.03 (77) | 1.85 (47) | 1.35 (34) | 36.46 (926) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.9 (12) | 4.5 (11) | 1.6 (4.1) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 1.0 (2.5) | 5.2 (13) | 17.8 (45) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.5 | 6.3 | 9.0 | 9.7 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 99.6 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 12.7 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 69.7 | 69.2 | 65.8 | 64.1 | 68.5 | 71.2 | 69.9 | 70.8 | 72.4 | 68.0 | 70.8 | 72.3 | 69.4 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 177.4 | 168.8 | 212.6 | 231.7 | 268.5 | 293.0 | 326.9 | 291.7 | 233.4 | 212.4 | 157.8 | 150.5 | 2,724.7 |
Percent possible sunshine | 59 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 60 | 66 | 72 | 69 | 63 | 61 | 52 | 51 | 61 |
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990) [18] [19] [20] |
Climate data for Wichita (Köppen Cfa) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 87 (31) | 92 (33) | 98 (37) | 102 (39) | 110 (43) | 113 (45) | 114 (46) | 108 (42) | 97 (36) | 86 (30) | 83 (28) | 114 (46) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 65.8 (18.8) | 71.6 (22.0) | 79.9 (26.6) | 85.3 (29.6) | 92.0 (33.3) | 98.4 (36.9) | 103.7 (39.8) | 102.2 (39.0) | 97.3 (36.3) | 89.0 (31.7) | 75.5 (24.2) | 65.3 (18.5) | 104.9 (40.5) |
Average high °F (°C) | 43.9 (6.6) | 48.9 (9.4) | 59.1 (15.1) | 68.3 (20.2) | 77.5 (25.3) | 87.9 (31.1) | 92.6 (33.7) | 91.0 (32.8) | 83.3 (28.5) | 70.8 (21.6) | 57.0 (13.9) | 45.8 (7.7) | 68.8 (20.4) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 33.2 (0.7) | 37.6 (3.1) | 47.4 (8.6) | 56.5 (13.6) | 66.7 (19.3) | 76.9 (24.9) | 81.5 (27.5) | 79.9 (26.6) | 71.7 (22.1) | 59.0 (15.0) | 45.8 (7.7) | 35.6 (2.0) | 57.7 (14.3) |
Average low °F (°C) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 35.7 (2.1) | 44.8 (7.1) | 55.9 (13.3) | 65.9 (18.8) | 70.4 (21.3) | 68.8 (20.4) | 60.1 (15.6) | 47.2 (8.4) | 34.7 (1.5) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 46.5 (8.1) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 5.1 (−14.9) | 8.4 (−13.1) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 40.5 (4.7) | 53.9 (12.2) | 61.4 (16.3) | 59.3 (15.2) | 44.6 (7.0) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 8.4 (−13.1) | 1.0 (−17.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | −15 (−26) | −22 (−30) | −3 (−19) | 15 (−9) | 27 (−3) | 43 (6) | 51 (11) | 45 (7) | 31 (−1) | 14 (−10) | 1 (−17) | −16 (−27) | −22 (−30) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.85 (22) | 1.20 (30) | 2.30 (58) | 3.10 (79) | 5.17 (131) | 4.93 (125) | 3.98 (101) | 4.30 (109) | 3.05 (77) | 2.85 (72) | 1.36 (35) | 1.22 (31) | 34.31 (871) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.7 (6.9) | 3.6 (9.1) | 2.1 (5.3) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.8 (2.0) | 3.1 (7.9) | 12.7 (32) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.8 | 5.3 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 11.3 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 87.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 9.2 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 69.9 | 68.3 | 63.8 | 62.8 | 67.0 | 64.3 | 58.9 | 61.1 | 66.8 | 65.1 | 70.0 | 71.7 | 65.8 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 190.9 | 186.4 | 230.4 | 257.8 | 289.8 | 305.0 | 342.1 | 309.2 | 245.6 | 226.3 | 170.2 | 168.7 | 2,922.4 |
Percent possible sunshine | 62 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 76 | 73 | 66 | 65 | 56 | 57 | 66 |
Average ultraviolet index | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Source: National Weather Service (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990); [21] [22] [23] |
Climate data for Dodge City (Köppen BSk/Cfa) [lower-alpha 2] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 88 (31) | 98 (37) | 100 (38) | 106 (41) | 111 (44) | 109 (43) | 109 (43) | 107 (42) | 101 (38) | 91 (33) | 86 (30) | 111 (44) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 68.2 (20.1) | 73.9 (23.3) | 81.7 (27.6) | 88.6 (31.4) | 94.0 (34.4) | 99.7 (37.6) | 103.9 (39.9) | 102.1 (38.9) | 97.6 (36.4) | 89.8 (32.1) | 77.2 (25.1) | 66.9 (19.4) | 105.1 (40.6) |
Average high °F (°C) | 44.2 (6.8) | 48.4 (9.1) | 57.8 (14.3) | 67.5 (19.7) | 76.9 (24.9) | 86.7 (30.4) | 92.8 (33.8) | 90.8 (32.7) | 82.4 (28.0) | 69.7 (20.9) | 55.9 (13.3) | 44.3 (6.8) | 68.2 (20.1) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.3 (0.2) | 36.0 (2.2) | 44.5 (6.9) | 54.0 (12.2) | 64.3 (17.9) | 74.0 (23.3) | 79.7 (26.5) | 78.2 (25.7) | 69.3 (20.7) | 56.6 (13.7) | 43.2 (6.2) | 32.9 (0.5) | 55.4 (13.0) |
Average low °F (°C) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 23.4 (−4.8) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 40.2 (4.6) | 51.5 (10.8) | 61.0 (16.1) | 66.3 (19.1) | 65.3 (18.5) | 56.0 (13.3) | 43.4 (6.3) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 21.2 (−6.0) | 42.6 (5.9) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 2.9 (−16.2) | 4.7 (−15.2) | 12.9 (−10.6) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 36.3 (2.4) | 49.0 (9.4) | 56.3 (13.5) | 54.9 (12.7) | 39.1 (3.9) | 26.9 (−2.8) | 13.4 (−10.3) | 3.6 (−15.8) | −4.3 (−20.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −26 (−32) | −15 (−26) | 9 (−13) | 19 (−7) | 36 (2) | 46 (8) | 43 (6) | 29 (−2) | 10 (−12) | −13 (−25) | −21 (−29) | −26 (−32) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.58 (15) | 0.68 (17) | 1.59 (40) | 1.82 (46) | 2.85 (72) | 3.24 (82) | 3.08 (78) | 2.75 (70) | 1.67 (42) | 1.74 (44) | 0.76 (19) | 0.84 (21) | 21.60 (549) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.9 (12) | 3.9 (9.9) | 4.9 (12) | 1.1 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1.8 (4.6) | 4.1 (10) | 21.1 (54) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.5 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 76.8 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 13.7 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 65.9 | 64.5 | 60.5 | 57.5 | 62.5 | 59.9 | 55.2 | 58.4 | 61.9 | 58.2 | 64.3 | 66.6 | 61.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 207.2 | 201.6 | 241.1 | 270.0 | 297.6 | 332.9 | 357.8 | 319.0 | 267.6 | 248.8 | 192.9 | 189.2 | 3,125.7 |
Percent possible sunshine | 67 | 67 | 65 | 68 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 76 | 72 | 71 | 63 | 63 | 70 |
Source: National Weather Service (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990) [24] [25] [26] |
Kansas is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native Americans who lived along its banks. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison.
Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587. The Topeka metropolitan statistical area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee Counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.
Alton is a city in Osborne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 100.
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 156,607, making it one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is situated at Kaw Point, the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. It is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified Government". It is the location of the University of Kansas Medical Center and Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Missouri generally has a variety of seasonal humid subtropical climate, with cool winters and long, hot summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the Bootheel, the climate borders on a more mild-type humid subtropical climate, and in the northern third, the state transitions into a humid continental climate. Because of its location in the interior United States, Missouri often experiences extremes in temperatures. Lacking either large mountains or oceans nearby to moderate its temperature, its climate is alternately influenced by air from the cold Arctic and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico.
The climate of Virginia, a state on the east coast of the United States, is considered mild compared to more northern areas of the United States such as New England and the Midwest. Most of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge mountains, the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley, and the Roanoke Valley, has a humid subtropical climate. In the mountainous areas west of the Blue Ridge, the climate is warm-summer humid continental or oceanic climate. Severe weather, in the form of tornadoes, tropical cyclones, and winter storms, impacts the state on a regular basis. Central Virginia received significant snowfall of 20 inches in December 2009.
The Environment of West Virginia encompasses terrain and ecosystems ranging from plateaus to mountains. Most of West Virginia lies within the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests ecoregion, while the higher elevations along the eastern border and in the panhandle lie within the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests.
St. Louis is located at 38°38′53″N90°12′44″W.
The climate of California varies widely from hot desert to alpine tundra, depending on latitude, elevation, and proximity to the Pacific Coast. California's coastal regions, the Sierra Nevada foothills, and much of the Central Valley have a Mediterranean climate, with warmer, drier weather in summer and cooler, wetter weather in winter. The influence of the ocean generally moderates temperature extremes, creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers in coastal areas.
The climate of San Diego, California is classified as a Mediterranean climate. The basic climate features hot, sunny, and dry summers, and cooler, wetter winters. However, San Diego is much more arid than typical Mediterranean climates, and winters are still dry compared with most other zones with this type of climate. The climate at San Diego International Airport, the location for official weather reports for San Diego, as well as the climate at most beach areas, straddles the border between BSh and BSk due to the mild winters and cool summers in these locations.
North Dakota's climate is typical of a continental climate with cold winters and warm-hot summers. The state's location in the Upper Midwest allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the United States, and each of the four seasons has its own distinct characteristics. The eastern half of the state has a humid continental climate with warm to hot, somewhat humid summers and cold, windy winters, while the western half has a semi-arid climate with less precipitation and less humidity but similar temperature profiles. The areas east of the Missouri River get slightly colder winters, while those west of the stream get higher summer daytime temperatures. In general, the diurnal temperature difference is prone to be more significant in the west due to higher elevation and less humidity.
The climate of Pennsylvania is diverse due to the multitude of geographic features found within the state. Straddling two major climate zones, the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania has the warmest climate. A portion of Greater Philadelphia lies at the southernmost tip of the humid continental climate zone, with the city proper being in the humid subtropical climate zone. Still, Philadelphia features colder, snowier winters than most locations with a humid subtropical climate. Moving west toward the mountainous interior of the state, the climate becomes markedly colder, the number of cloudy days increases, and winter snowfall amounts are greater.
The Geography of Oklahoma encompasses terrain and ecosystems ranging from arid plains to subtropical forests and mountains. Oklahoma contains 10 distinct ecological regions, more per square mile than in any other state by a wide margin. It is situated in the Great Plains and U.S. Interior Highlands region near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. Usually considered part of the South Central United States, Oklahoma is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas, on the northwest by Colorado, on the far west by New Mexico, and on the south and near-west by Texas.
The U.S. state of Wyoming lies in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States and has a varied geography. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south. Wyoming is the least populous U.S. state and has the second-lowest population density behind Alaska.
The U.S. state of Connecticut is bordered on the south by Long Island Sound, on the west by New York, on the north by Massachusetts, and on the east by Rhode Island. The state capital and fourth largest city is Hartford, and other major cities and towns include Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, Greenwich, and Bristol. There are 169 incorporated towns in Connecticut, with cities and villages included within some towns.
The climate of New York (state) is generally humid continental, while the extreme southeastern portion of the state lies in the warmer humid subtropical climate zone. Winter temperatures average below freezing during January and February in much of the state of New York, but several degrees above freezing along the Atlantic coastline, including New York City.
The climate of Los Angeles is mild to hot year-round, and mostly dry. It is classified as a Mediterranean climate, which is a type of dry subtropical climate. It is characterized by seasonal changes in rainfall—with a dry summer and a winter rainy season. Under the modified Köppen climate classification, the coastal areas are classified as Csb, and the inland areas as Csa.
The climate of Miami is classified as having a tropical monsoon climate with hot and humid summers; short, warm winters; and a marked drier season in the winter. Its sea-level elevation, coastal location, position just above the Tropic of Cancer, and proximity to the Gulf Stream shape its climate.
The climate of New Jersey classification of the U.S. state of New Jersey is humid subtropical in South Jersey with a humid continental climate in North Jersey, particularly in the northwestern area of the state. The northwest part of New Jersey is the snowiest due to the higher elevations that earn it a Dfb classification. During the winters, New Jersey can experience Nor'easters, which are snowstorms that affect the Northeastern United States, and Atlantic Canada. However, many would-be snow events in the state end up turning to rain due to warm ocean air being brought in by the storm. New Jersey's climate is shaped by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean which provides moisture and moderates temperatures. According to climatology research by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century, related to global warming.
The climate of New England varies greatly across its 500-mile (800 km) span from northern Maine to southern Connecticut.