The vast high plains of the United States attract severe weather annually.
The climate of the United States is broken up in nine distinct regions, as mapped by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC.) From the lush Northwest Region that benefits from large amounts of rainfall, to the arid Southwest region that experiences hardly any precipitation at all, the United States experiences a wide range of climatic change. This includes the plains that slice the country right down the middle, an area that goes by the more ominous moniker "Tornado Alley."
Northwest Region
The Northwestern region of the U.S. includes Washington state, Oregon and Idaho. The average precipitation for this area is collectively higher than anywhere else in the nation, especially along the Pacific coast. The average temperature as of 2010 for this area ranged in the 50s and the 60s, although it can reach such highs as 90s and 100s, as well as lows of -20 and -30, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.)
Western Region
The Western region of the United States includes California and Nevada, and this climate ranges from the cool, foggy climate of the San Francisco area to the extreme conditions of the hot, dry Death Valley region of California on the border of Nevada. Temperatures in the desert area of this region can reach upward of 110, whereas the Sierra Nevada range around Lake Tahoe experiences extreme low temperatures of around zero.
West North Central Region
The West North Central region of the United States includes Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. This area experiences wide temperature variations, which can be as hot as the 100s or as low as -40s in northern states such as North Dakota. The high plains region of the United States includes part of this West North Central Region, and as a result is part of "Tornado Alley." States such as North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska in particular experience a spike in this dangerous weather phenomenon in the spring and summer.
Southwest Region
The Southwest region of the United States includes Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It experiences a wide variety in temperature and weather phenomenon courtesy of the changing elevations of the Rocky Mountains in the northern part of this region, and the desert terrain to the south. Parts of Colorado enjoy high temperatures in the 80s, whereas the southern part of Arizona can reach upward of 110. Northern Colorado experiences higher precipitation than southern Arizona, which is quite dry.
Southern Region
The Southern region of the United States includes Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. All of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and most of Texas are included in Tornado Alley, and as such the wide variances in temperature can result in dangerous thunderstorms through the spring and summer months. The coastal region of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas is susceptible to hurricanes through late summer, whereas the higher plains of Kansas, Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas can experience blizzard conditions through the winter.
East North Central Region
The East North Central region includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. The temperatures in this region tend to be cooler, with average temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Winter temperatures can reach extreme lows of -30. Iowa is also considered one of the plains states in Tornado Alley, and can experience severe weather with possible tornadoes in the spring.
Central Region
The Central region of the United States includes Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. The region experiences moderate temperatures on average, but can reach as high as 90s to the north and 100s to the south. It can also dip down to around zero to -10. These states experience all four seasons, including a stormy spring and summer season since Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and parts of Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky are part of Tornado Alley.
Northeast Region
The Northeast region includes the northern states of Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware. This area doesn't experience the extreme lows of the high plains part of the nation, although it can drop to temperatures in the -20s. Average temperatures remain relatively mild, but can reach up to the 90s. It also enjoys more rainfall, especially along the northern Atlantic coast.
Southeast Region
The Southeast region includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. This region experiences higher temperatures, and as of 2009 is reporting higher instances of drought through the summer months. Strong hurricanes are also a possibility in this area. Florida remains mostly mild, with highs reported in the 90s, but the northern states in this region record extreme lows in the zeros and teens.
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