Post by tij on Apr 9, 2019 14:49:00 GMT -5
Rate the US's climate!
I would give it a B-/C+. I voted the latter taking to account that the country is dominated by extreme climates, and milder zones (the Pacific coast, SE New England & the Mid-Atlantic) are limited in scope.
I appreciate coastal SE New England and Long Island to likely be the best continental climates IMO on the planet-- good sunshine and precip, mild autumns, the interest factor with nor'easters and other coastal storms, and non-bleak and dull winters, with many crisp, sunny, but cold days pervading, and a lower risk of tornadoes than other parts of the US.
The Pacific Northwest is quite nice overall, with interesting topography, and I appreciate the wet winters compared to places like Melbourne and London which are on the dry side for me. That being said, the region's precip pattern is too uneven, and this results in conifers rather than more temperate broadleaf forests characteristic of Western Europe and the Eastern US, which I tend to overall prefer. Summers could be a bit less bland though, but I appreciate how Seattle and Portland still get more sunshine overall than London/Paris/Amsterdam...
California is not muggy thankfully unlike much of the coastal Mediterranean, and its coast has pleasantly mild summers for Mediterranean standards, with places like Santa Cruz. A significant issue though again is that the dry season is too stark and long-- Southern California could especially be a bit lusher without causing discomfort.
The Great Lakes region is okay, and can get interesting lake effect snow, but clearly less moderate than the coastal Northeast and duller during the winter... The plains region though does quite poorly by my standards, with tornadoes, a short growing season, and extremely dry winters, which also characterize the worst of winters in NE Asia, but also with nastier cold snaps. At least the region is not horribly bleak like much of European Russia during the winter.
The South can get more cool spells, which I actually to a degree appreciate more than is possible than other subtropical regions. That being said, severe weather is a significant issue, with violent tornadoes, and summers are uncomfortably muggy compared to Australia and Uruguay.
The Interior West is too dry and excessively sunny for me overall and would benefit from more precipitation-- I prefer NW South Asian subtropical highland climates to their Arizonan equivalents in part for this reason, but also due to their additional moderation. Arizona at least cools down more than many other desert regions do during the winter, and summers are not as severe as in Kuwait.
The US also lacks subtropical highland Cwb climates like Kunming and Mexico City, so it is missing a significant climate category-- not quite 100% comprehensive... It's also missing "warm oceanic" climates like San Sebastián or Tauranga and "mild subtropical" climates like Batumi.
My ratings by region:
Pacific Northwest: A-
SE New England to Long Island (Boston/Providence/Montauk/New Haven/Cape Cod): B+
Highland Southern Appalachians (Boone, NC/Toxaway): B
California Coast: B to C+ (higher near SF, lower near SD)
Lower Midatlantic (NYC to Virginia): B-
Great Lakes/Interior New England (Cleveland, Buffalo etc.. even to Vermont and Coastal Maine for pleasant summers despite harsh winters): B-
Highland SW (Santa Fé, Flagstaff): B-/C+
Mountain NW: B-/C+
Hawaii: C+ to C-
Upper South/Lower Midwest/Highland S (Atlanta): C
Deep South (Mississippi, Louisiana etc...): C-
Alaska: C- to F
Florida: D+
I would give it a B-/C+. I voted the latter taking to account that the country is dominated by extreme climates, and milder zones (the Pacific coast, SE New England & the Mid-Atlantic) are limited in scope.
I appreciate coastal SE New England and Long Island to likely be the best continental climates IMO on the planet-- good sunshine and precip, mild autumns, the interest factor with nor'easters and other coastal storms, and non-bleak and dull winters, with many crisp, sunny, but cold days pervading, and a lower risk of tornadoes than other parts of the US.
The Pacific Northwest is quite nice overall, with interesting topography, and I appreciate the wet winters compared to places like Melbourne and London which are on the dry side for me. That being said, the region's precip pattern is too uneven, and this results in conifers rather than more temperate broadleaf forests characteristic of Western Europe and the Eastern US, which I tend to overall prefer. Summers could be a bit less bland though, but I appreciate how Seattle and Portland still get more sunshine overall than London/Paris/Amsterdam...
California is not muggy thankfully unlike much of the coastal Mediterranean, and its coast has pleasantly mild summers for Mediterranean standards, with places like Santa Cruz. A significant issue though again is that the dry season is too stark and long-- Southern California could especially be a bit lusher without causing discomfort.
The Great Lakes region is okay, and can get interesting lake effect snow, but clearly less moderate than the coastal Northeast and duller during the winter... The plains region though does quite poorly by my standards, with tornadoes, a short growing season, and extremely dry winters, which also characterize the worst of winters in NE Asia, but also with nastier cold snaps. At least the region is not horribly bleak like much of European Russia during the winter.
The South can get more cool spells, which I actually to a degree appreciate more than is possible than other subtropical regions. That being said, severe weather is a significant issue, with violent tornadoes, and summers are uncomfortably muggy compared to Australia and Uruguay.
The Interior West is too dry and excessively sunny for me overall and would benefit from more precipitation-- I prefer NW South Asian subtropical highland climates to their Arizonan equivalents in part for this reason, but also due to their additional moderation. Arizona at least cools down more than many other desert regions do during the winter, and summers are not as severe as in Kuwait.
The US also lacks subtropical highland Cwb climates like Kunming and Mexico City, so it is missing a significant climate category-- not quite 100% comprehensive... It's also missing "warm oceanic" climates like San Sebastián or Tauranga and "mild subtropical" climates like Batumi.
My ratings by region:
Pacific Northwest: A-
SE New England to Long Island (Boston/Providence/Montauk/New Haven/Cape Cod): B+
Highland Southern Appalachians (Boone, NC/Toxaway): B
California Coast: B to C+ (higher near SF, lower near SD)
Lower Midatlantic (NYC to Virginia): B-
Great Lakes/Interior New England (Cleveland, Buffalo etc.. even to Vermont and Coastal Maine for pleasant summers despite harsh winters): B-
Highland SW (Santa Fé, Flagstaff): B-/C+
Mountain NW: B-/C+
Hawaii: C+ to C-
Upper South/Lower Midwest/Highland S (Atlanta): C
Deep South (Mississippi, Louisiana etc...): C-
Alaska: C- to F
Florida: D+
Plains (Nebraska, Kansas...): D+/D [IA and MN are between lakes and plains for a C+ and C/C- respectively, northern Maine would get a C as well]
Texas: D
Lowland SW Deserts: D/D-
Texas: D
Lowland SW Deserts: D/D-
