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The best time to travel to: USA
The United States of America (USA) is the fourth largest state in the world. In the north the country borders on Canada, in the south on Mexico. The US also includes the states of Hawaii and Alaska, which are better described separately, especially since both states are relatively far away from the rest of the US states.
The USA (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) extend over 25 ° to 49 ° North alone. Due to the large extent, you can find all climatic conditions in the USA that you can think of. There are hot desert-like areas as well as very cold spots. In general, the climate in the USA is often referred to as moderate, but this reflects the conditions in the country only inaccurately.
Officially, the US is mostly divided into five climate zones:
- subtropical climate, e.g. Hawaii
- oceanic climate, e.g. on the Pacific coast
- mild winters and hot summers e.g. Florida
- cold winters and warm summers e.g. on the Atlantic coast north of Florida
- dry inland climate
Many parts of the United States are subject to changing winds and cyclones, as well as low pressure areas all year round. These go hand in hand with alternating warm and cold fronts. Many of the winds (e.g. southwest-east or northwest winds) bring clouds, precipitation and choppy weather. In these phases, especially the central parts and the parts in the north-east of the country are subject to strong climatic fluctuations.
The South is generally rather warm. The North with its many forests, on the other hand, has a cooler climate, comparable to that in Central Europe.
The East has more precipitation than the west. The climatic conditions on the East Coast are roughly comparable to those of Central Europe. The high-altitude areas in the South-West are often cooler even in summer (e.g. the Rocky Mountains). Even within some states the climate can differ significantly over short distances. There are examples of this in California, Nevada, and Arizona. Los Angeles e.g. is quite warm, with the first winter sports resorts about 100 km away (in the San Bernadino Mountains).
The central USA - the Great Plains - stretch from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Appalachians in the east. In between there is an area that is mostly flat and seldom rises above 600 meters. As a result, the area is also very susceptible to cold polar winds from the arctic regions of Canada and warm winds that come into the country from the Caribbean via the Gulf of Mexico. In practice, however, this really means that both air systems collide suddenly and then dramatic temperature changes can occur. In winter and spring, temperatures can easily change by up to 28 ° C within a few hours! Something similar is known from the North-East in Virginia.
It is much more pleasant in the coastal areas of the Pacific and west of the Rocky Mountains. There the Pacific has a great influence on the climate and has a balancing effect. The temperature differences are much smaller. The differences between summer and winter are also smaller here. The regions around the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic in South Virginia enjoy a climate influenced by the sea. However, the effect there is not quite as strong as on the Pacific.
Some parts of the United States are repeatedly hit by very strong winds, primarily hurricanes and tornadoes. Hurricanes are particularly evident in the southeast on the border regions to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Tornadoes can almost be described as local phenomena. The so-called twisters appear mainly in spring and summer and move within a manageable radius.
The west of the USA is relatively mountainous and is characterized by the Rockies or the so-called Western Cordilleras. Here you have to reckon with constantly changing conditions within very short distances. They are primarily dependent on the altitude at which you are or the degree of protection in which a region is located (particularly interesting, of course, in the case of valley locations). Many of the mountains reach over 4,000 meters, the large plateaus are mostly 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Interestingly, there are also basins that reach below sea level (e.g. Death Valley). Especially here you can see the contrasts. The desert-like Death Valley and the peaks covered with snow all year round and in the immediate vicinity.
Due to the rough descriptions, it is correspondingly difficult to definitively name a certain best time for the USA. The following can serve as a starting point:
- The best time to visit Florida would be winter
- The best travel time for California or Hawaii would theoretically be all year round (depending on the altitude or extreme locations such as the Death Valley, which is not recommended in summer due to extreme heat). But: according to the experiences of the last few years, the months December and January cannot be recommended for California, as extreme precipitation can occur here again and again.
- The best travel time for the East Coast and the North is probably between May and October.
- The best time for the Midwest is probably between April and May and September to November.
- Winter sports is possible at higher altitudes from December to around April
Let's take a detailed look on the important climatic regions of the USA.
The South / Atlantic coast
The further south you get on the Atlantic coast, the warmer it gets. This explains why Florida has an almost tropical climate. Especially in winter, Florida rarely experiences major cold spells. However, if you come to the northern parts of Virginia or the western part of the Appalachian Mountains, the winters get cooler and more snowy. In summer, however, the temperature differences between South and North are less noticeable. Florida has an oceanic climate and is influenced by the warm Atlantic currents. Therefore the winters are mild, but the summers are rarely as extreme as e.g. in northern New York. In the coastal plains of Georgia and Carolina, the winters are relatively mild and less extreme than in Washington D.C., where you have to reckon with violent onset of winter again and again. In North Florida and southern Georgia, snow is believed to only fall every 10 years (if at all). In southern Virginia, however, snow falls relatively reliably. Summer precipitation increases towards the south and is often accompanied by strong storms. Florida in particular suffers more from violent storms than most other parts of the United States. In some parts of Florida, up to 100 violent cyclones are counted annually. Some storms move as hurricanes over Florida. However, these are less common, they usually appear between July and October. The southern Atlantic region is one of the sunniest parts in the east of the United States. In winter there is an average of six hours of sunshine here and ten in summer. Florida in particular enjoys a lot of sun all year round and is therefore an extremely popular holiday destination, especially in the winter months. In summer it is actually not as sunny in Florida as it is in northern parts, especially when you have to reckon with violent storms. Typical for the southern Atlantic regions are e.g. the climatetable of Miami and Norfolk.
The middle west
Here one often finds quite extensive plains. Much of the Midwest is rather flat, less than 600 meters and mostly even less than 300 meters. The Midwest has perhaps the most continental climate in the United States. That means: the winters are cool to cold, the summers are warm and consistently show longer periods of heat with pronounced dryness. The summers here get warmer the further south you go. The winters are much more severe the further north you go. The precipitation tendency in winter is not extremely high, most of it goes down as snow. The winters can of course be really cold and hard in the North on the border with Canada and the Great Lakes. There you can feel the influence of cold arctic winds from Canada very strongly. In winter you have to reckon with freezing rain again and again, especially in the North. This is very typical here and involves considerable dangers. The tendency towards precipitation generally decreases towards the west. The plains in the west often have regular periods of drought. In contrast, the states in the east (e.g. Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky) usually have much higher rainfall. Basically, however, you can expect at least one real winter month for the entire Midwest, when temperatures almost everywhere fall below 0 ° C. The good thing about the climate in the Midwest are the mostly very clear conditions with bright blue skies and many hours of sunshine. In winter you get a good five hours of sunshine a day in summer a good eleven. A phenomenon related to winter is the chinook. This is a foehn wind that suddenly brings enormously hot air along the Rockies in winter or spring and then quickly melts the snow. Typical for the Midwest would be the climates of Chicago, Detroit, Dodge City, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Pittsburgh and St Louis.
The South and the states of the Gulf of Mexico
We talk about all areas in the South of the USA between the Rockies and the Appalachians as well as the states with a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. Basically, you will find conditions here that are quite comparable to those in the Midwest, but due to the southern orientation it is generally a bit warmer. This is especially true for the winters, which are significantly warmer here and rarely become severe. It only gets cold when arctic winds come here from the North. Especially in west Texas you can expect cold periods. For the winter you have to keep in mind that the states with shares in the Appalachian Mountains such as Tennessee and Alabama naturally have more rainfall in the mountainous regions and here also snow. Summers are much warmer in the South than in the North. The east tends to have more precipitation with approx. 1,000mm than the west with up to 500mm. Most of the precipitation occurs in summer, with violent storms especially in the East. Basically it is quite sunny all year round in the South or the Gulf States, especially in the west of Texas and Oklahoma. In winter there is an average of six hours of sunshine per day, in summer a good eleven hours. In most of the region one can speak of quite pleasant summers. Only along the coastline on the Gulf of Mexico can the summers always be quite humid and oppressive. Unfortunately, the region is also repeatedly hit by hurricanes and tornadoes - mostly in the whole of the USA. Typical Climatetable would be e.g. B. those of New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and Nashville.
Rocky Mountains Region
The northern states such as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the mountainous region of the western Cordillera are mainly located here. It is generally cooler here in both summer and winter than in most other regions of the USA. The cool season also lasts longer and there is always a little more rainfall. However, there are also strong local differences here. Above all, they depend on the height at which you are currently. So you can find colder corners at higher altitudes in the warmer south than in the cooler north at lower locations. But that's just the way it is and is not a peculiarity of this region or generally seen for mountainous regions. You can see this height dependency quite well if you look at special climatetables. Both Cheyenne in Wyoming and Santa Fe in New Mexico have comparable conditions despite the distance. However, both places are at a comparable altitude of just over 1,800 meters. In Phoenix, Arizona, on the other hand, it is always much warmer than Santa Fe and Cheyenne. The reason: Phoenix is at an altitude of about 330 meters. In the South, in the Rockies region, there are wide, dry plains that are desert- like in places and receive very little rainfall (e.g. in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado). The reason is mainly in the mountains in the west, which practically keep the humid air from the Pacific or let it rain down beforehand. In principle, large temperature differences can be observed across the entire Rockies region. Basically, the same applies here: it tends to be cooler in the North than in the South. In the south are z. B. known hot and quite dry places like Phoenix or Las Vegas. There you can get eight hours of sun a day even in winter, and up to 13 hours a day in summer. However, as mentioned, the humidity there is quite low and thus the heat is comparatively bearable.
The North-East (New England
)The North-East actually has relatively changeable weather all year round. The weather can be compared to that in Great Britain, but it is a bit more extreme. The summers are warmer, but the winters are cooler. The temperature jumps can be very large in a day. In addition, there is more rain than in the UK and there is usually a bit more snow. The precipitation is distributed relatively evenly over all months. Towards the north, the winters are always a bit more rainy and snowy. South of New York, however, the summer is often a little more rainy. The summers in the North-East can always be quite hot, and then it is often quite humid. The heat waves can be generally uncomfortable, especially in the big cities, where the heat can be felt to be very oppressive due to the known urban climatic problems in big cities. The entire North-East can be hit by cold waves in winter and in places also in spring, often with a lot of snow. The further north, the colder and snowier it can be. Basically, there is always more snow at the higher altitudes, e.g. the northern Appalachian mountains with altitudes between 1,200 and 1,800 meters. The winters there are much longer snowy, and there are also some good ski areas here. In summer, these areas are popular retreats for people suffering from heat from the big cities or the humid plains near the coast. The North-East is one of the states in the USA that has the least amount of sun on average. But still it is much sunnier than e.g. in climatically comparable Great Britain. In the plains and on the coasts, the North-East receives up to five hours of sunshine in winter and up to ten hours in summer. On the coast, however, the hours of sunshine can be less locally both in summer and in winter due to fog. Inland and in large cities, this can happen especially in winter due to fog; the same applies to valleys in the Appalachian Mountains. Typical for the North-East would be z. B. the climatetables of Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington.
Northwest / Pacific region
Similar to the North-East, people talk about a climate that is similar to that of Great Britain. In the region there are foothills of the western Cordilleras with peaks over 4,000 meters. These are often covered with snow all year round. Therefore, the conditions are similar to those in the North of the Rockies. However, the coastal regions show the smallest temperature differences in the whole of the USA over the course of the year. The winters are quite mild and the summers are not extremely warm. It is also often very cloudy here and therefore the sun shines comparatively little. It also rains a lot here, the higher you go, the greater the tendency to rain. However, the valley areas surrounded by the high plateaus are protected and usually receive little rain. The northwestern Pacific region generally receives the most rain in winter, although rain can fall practically all year round. But even in summer it actually rains again and again. A summer drought like in other parts of the USA is hardly known here. The climate tables of Seattle and Portland are quite typical for the coastal regions. In the coastal regions you always have to reckon with fog in summer, which then significantly softens the solar radiation and also causes the temperatures to drop. For inland at medium altitudes, Spokane and Boise conditions could be taken as typical. At higher elevations inland, the winters are much sunnier than on the coast. You can expect up to five hours of sunshine a day here, and a maximum of three hours of sunshine on the coast.
California
California has a pleasant climate. In principle, you will find a kind of Mediterranean climate here. This extends almost to the border regions of the state. The areas on the north coast have a climatic relationship with the northwestern Pacific regions (see above), although you can notice a slight increase in temperatures in summer and a decrease in rainfall the further south you go. In the central regions of California the summers are dry. In southeastern California, rainfall decreases the further you go towards Arizona and North Mexico. The winters are mild and moderately humid in almost all of California, while the summers are usually warm to hot and relatively dry. But you have to pay attention to the mountainous regions, which are also found in California. The mountains on the coast and especially the Sierra Nevada reach over 3,700 meters. Here the amount of precipitation is of course higher. At the top it always snows copiously and you can find many good winter sports locations here. Typical for the coastal regions would be the climatetable of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. In San Francisco, however, you should also expect the local sea fog, which can move into the city from time to time. Basically, the relatively cool temperatures of the sea in summer always cause milder temperatures directly on the coast than in the warm to extremely hot parts of the interior. In the Great Valley and in the desert-like areas of the southeast, it gets very hot in summer. On the other hand, it can snow in the inland of California in winter, which is less the case on the coastal areas. The climate table from Death Valley is quite typical for the desert-like regions. It gets very hot there in summer. The peaks are the highest in the US and are also pretty high on the heat scale worldwide. For Los Angeles you should pay special attention to the fact that the city and the surrounding area have to struggle with the smog typical of the city. The relatively light winds are not able to carry away the hot air and the exhaust gases, which is why the mixture of hot air and exhaust gases then practically remains hanging over the city. Unfortunately, this is very often the case in summer. Otherwise, the climate in California is extremely pleasant and healthy. You should pay attention to such extreme places as Death Valley or Los Angeles, in winter you should expect snowstorms on the high peaks. What you should definitely pay attention to based on the observations of the last few years: in California there was repeatedly extreme precipitation with floods and landslides in the months of December and January. Basically, you should choose this period more carefully as a travel time.
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