The map above is a very simplified map of the 4 main climates of the United States.
They are:
- Hot & Wet: Aka the South
- Hot & Not Wet: Aka West Texas, Southern California and the South West
- Not Hot & Wet: North East and North West
- Not Hot & Not Wet: All the rest
The maps are based on data from Climate.gov maps data.
Basically, overlaying areas that are hot or not hot with those that are wet or not wet.
Also how many people live in each of the Climate Zones in the United States:
Number of people living in each Koppen climate region in the US, and their percentage share
Broad Köppen groups:
| Group | Climate | Population | US share |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Tropical | 8.56M | 2.58% |
| B | Dry | 50.25M | 15.16% |
| C | Temperate | 172.57M | 52.07% |
| D | Continental | 100.06M | 30.19% |
| E | Polar | 0.01M | 0.00% |
All sub-groups
| Code | Climate type | Population | US share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Af | Tropical rainforest | 2,797,245 | 0.84% |
| Am | Tropical monsoon | 4,112,969 | 1.24% |
| Aw | Tropical savanna | 1,645,890 | 0.50% |
| BSh | Hot semi-arid | 15,964,653 | 4.82% |
| BSk | Cold semi-arid | 18,525,377 | 5.59% |
| BWh | Hot desert | 12,679,010 | 3.83% |
| BWk | Cold desert | 3,082,177 | 0.93% |
| Cfa | Humid subtropical | 140,546,609 | 42.40% |
| Cfb | Oceanic | 801,572 | 0.24% |
| Cfc | Subpolar oceanic | 6,774 | 0.00% |
| Csa | Hot-summer Mediterranean | 13,410,390 | 4.05% |
| Csb | Warm-summer Mediterranean | 17,806,347 | 5.37% |
| Csc | Cold-summer Mediterranean | 11 | 0.00% |
| Dfa | Hot-summer humid continental | 84,127,472 | 25.38% |
| Dfb | Warm-summer humid continental | 13,935,066 | 4.20% |
| Dsa | Continental, dry summer, hot summer | 340,915 | 0.10% |
| Dsb | Continental, dry summer, warm summer | 874,130 | 0.26% |
| Dsc | Continental, dry summer, cold summer | 394,548 | 0.12% |
| Dwa | Continental, dry winter, hot summer | 151,129 | 0.05% |
| Dwb | Continental, dry winter, warm summer | 80,487 | 0.02% |
| Dfc | Subarctic | 149,700 | 0.05% |
| Dwc | Subarctic, dry winter | 2,637 | 0.00% |
| ET | Tundra | 14,173 | 0.00% |
What do you think? Do you agree?
Brett Heffner says
The hot and wet zone on the East Coast comes as far up as NYC and Nassau County.
Brett Heffner says
Well within Yankee territory but a humid subtropical climate according to the Koeppen standard in these areas.
Howard says
What is your criterion for “wet”?
Brett Heffner says
At least 40 inches precipitation average annually.
Brett Heffner says
It is hot and wet even farther north in Oregon—in the Willamette Valley north to Portland.
Brett Heffner says
Although Portland Airport only has 37 annual average inches of precipitation, the map is not wrong—wetter areas of the Williamette Valley average at least 40 inches.
Brett Heffner says
The northernmost ‘hot’ climate in North America is in Kennewick, Washington (55.1 F annual average.) This was unlikely to be found in the NW states prior to last decade until climate change made it possible.
Brett Heffner says
This map is not so instructive when it comes to California. Some coastal areas are shown as being hot because the average annual temperature averages at least 55 degrees F but the summers are not at all hot. There is no minimum for the warmest month. San Francisco is a good example here (hot but not wet.) Mark Twain infamously said that the coldest winter that he spent was a summer in San Francisco.
Brett Heffner says
This map shows hot but not wet land in SE Washington state, and the northernmost city in North America to average at least 55 f is Kennewick:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick,_Washington#Climate
Hcat says
Why is the northern Midwest “not wet”? And what is this “hot and dry” enclave in the middle of Missouri?
Brett Heffner says
Those areas of the Midwest have under 40 inches of precipitation as an annual average.
Brett Heffner says
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport is an example where the airport is drier than the two cities served by it due to local mountains creating a rain-shadow effect when the precipitation is lower lying. The airport is still neither hot nor wet while most of the cities of Scranton and W-B do have at least 40 inches of precipitation annually by now. The local dry area of AVP Airport is of course too small to show, but may be seen in results here (with the airport being 11 annual inches drier than Hazleton:) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzerne_County,_Pennsylvania#Climate