# Americans/Canadians\* are your states further divided by meteorological 'boundaries'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2018, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759 "2018-07-29T03:58:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/21 "2018-07-29T18:40:16Z")
the weather guys unofficially divided us into the high and low desert in the 50s and its stuck [High Desert (California) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Desert_(California)) is where I live theres about 30 or so towns in it we’re the biggest right now its 105 F and its not even noon its been triple digits for almost 2 months now …… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/22 "2018-07-29T18:43:46Z")
Ontario: Broadly divided into Southern Ontario (fertile farmland on sedimentary rock, surrounded by some of the Great Lakes; four seasons; lots and lots of people, towns, and cities) and Northern Ontario (rocks and trees and trees and rocks and rocks and trees and trees and rocks and rocks and trees and… waterrrrr\* Also mines, occasional struggling farms in sandy valleys, cottages in the southern parts, hunting, and rocks and trees). The boundary follows the edge of the Canadian Shield quite closely: the Shield country is solid granite with just a scraping of soil, and is generally higher and colder than the areas to the south. Often forgotten in Northern Ontario are the Hudson Bay Lowlands, north of the Shield Country, which are basically a swamp twice the size of Ireland. \*[A song by the Arrogant Worms](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTpIMK5NSo) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/23 "2018-07-29T18:46:45Z")
One way to divide Wisconsin is into three parts: 1. the more urbanized strip nearer to Lake Michigan (Green Bay through Milwaukee to the Illinois line); 2. Farming country in the southern half (though there are forests, too, especially in the sandy soils in the center); 3. Forested country in the northern half (including, along Lake Superior). The three come together around Oshkosh — where I was yesterday (world’s greatest air show/convention). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/24 "2018-07-29T18:51:37Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > One way to divide Wisconsin is into three parts: 1. the more urbanized strip nearer to Lake Michigan (Green Bay through Milwaukee to the Illinois line); 2. Farming country in the southern half (though there are forests, too, especially in the sandy soils in the center); 3. Forested country in the northern half (including, along Lake Superior). And 4. A bizarre chunk of Berkeley, transplanted into South Central Wisconsin (that’d be Madison 😃 ). ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/25 "2018-07-29T19:00:04Z")
I merged the duplicate threads since there were contributions in each. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/26 "2018-07-29T19:01:35Z")
I wondered about that as I thought my web had messed up just now …… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/27 "2018-07-29T19:45:16Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > One Canadian division, somewhat meteorological, cuts across the majority of the country without paying attention to any other boundaries: the tree line. North of that line, the climate isn’t warm enough to support trees, so they don’t grow. Heh. If you’re in Saskatchewan, the tree line is that area up north that marks where trees _begin_ to grow. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/28 "2018-07-29T19:57:01Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > The Central Valley is pretty hard to miss! If anyone’s done any amount of travel in CA, they’ve at least seen it. [Central Valley (California) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_(California)) There are also huge meteorological differences between the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire, and Hollywood Riviera in Southern California. Just some forty to fifty miles away from each other. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/29 "2018-07-29T20:01:07Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > The Central Valley is pretty hard to miss! If anyone’s done any amount of travel in CA, they’ve at least seen it. [Central Valley (California) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_(California)) I knew about it even before I moved to California, because of the agriculture. To add to what you said, when I moved to the Bay Area I was struck by how TV weather reports were done by region and microclimate. If I want a 20 degree temperature drop on a hot day I can take the BART from Fremont to San Francisco. I’ve lived in lots of other places, but nowhere where such variations were in commuting distance. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/30 "2018-07-29T20:01:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Before some Canadian gets his or her ire up, Canada has provinces, not states. And you don’t want to see a Canadian with his ire up! 🙂 > > I live in CA, so we have almost every meteorological boundary you can think of. In fact, just the Bay Area/NorCal is such that there can be a 30 deg F difference in temperature within less than an hour’s drive. The East Bay hills (Diablo Range) are mostly treeless and grassy. The West Bay hills (Santa Cruz Mountains) are forested, often with dense redwood growth. Yep. 100 here in Sacramento today, projected temperature in San Francisco is 63. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/31 "2018-07-29T20:21:06Z")
I’m from Nevada… the part at 7,000’ above sea level with lots of snow. It is completely different than Las Vegas or what most people think of when they think of Nevada. There is a real north/south divide and Elko in northeast Nevada is one of the coldest places in the lower 48… and one of the biggest population centers furthest from a trauma center… about a 4 hour drive to Boise, Salt Lake City and Reno. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/32 "2018-07-29T23:47:31Z")
Michigan, where I lived the longest, is two different peninsulas jutting into the Great Lakes system. Until they were connected by a long bridge in 1957 (120 years after statehood) the only land route to a portion of the state involved crossing through what is now three different states. The Upper and Lower Peninsulas are pretty easy to understand names, though. A visitor hearing “da UP” might be a little more confused. The lower peninsula is shaped like a right hand. It’s sometimes referred to as the Mitten. The northern lower peninsula is much hillier thanks to the glaciers that carved the Great Lakes. While not a geographical name I’ve known people in that area that referred to those of us down south as flatlanders. Likewise, I’ve heard reference to those living in the LP as trolls; we lived under the Mackinac Bridge. The Detroit River starts in the Detroit and runs south to empty into Lake Erie. The communities further along the river from Detroit are frequently referred to as collectively as Downriver or the Downrivers. It’s not an inventive name but it can confuse people not from the area. Lake effect snow zones get referenced in weather reports. Storms moving across the Great Lakes can have the air warm quite a bit and get saturated with extra moisture from the exposed water. That can make them primed and ready for an extra heavy snow fall once the make landfall. People who live there tend to know …or learn fast. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/33 "2018-07-30T00:24:53Z")
Back in my agriculture days, I remember the ag forecasts in Iowa were always divided into “north of Interstate 80” and “south of Interstate 80.” The Great Plains states have traditionally been divided by the [100th Meridian](https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/dividing-line-past-present-and-future-100th-meridian). East of the line there’s enough rainfall to grow crops; west of it is only good for pasture or needs irrigation. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/34 "2018-07-30T00:26:24Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Lake effect snow zones get referenced in weather reports. Storms moving across the Great Lakes can have the air warm quite a bit and get saturated with extra moisture from the exposed water. That can make them primed and ready for an extra heavy snow fall once the make landfall. People who live there tend to know …or learn fast. I’ve often thought that was one reason that the south shore of Lake Ontario is mostly rural with only a few cities, while the north shore is heavily populated. The wind mostly comes from the west and northwest. (If there _is_ an east wind, it means rain…) ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/35 "2018-07-30T00:57:07Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I merged the duplicate threads since there were contributions in each. Yeah, but you left _this_ one (the one I reported) with a typo in the title. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/36 "2018-07-30T04:58:38Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > New Mexico has large expanses of relatively flat desert with a number of mountain ranges scattered throughout. Our meteorological patterns are often related to altitude. The desert averages 4000-5000 feet (1200-1500 m) above sea level but we have quite a few mountain peaks over 10,000 feet (3000 m). “Quite a few” 10,000-foot mountains? Pikers! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/37 "2018-07-30T06:04:59Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I’ve often thought that was one reason that the south shore of Lake Ontario is mostly rural with only a few cities, while the north shore is heavily populated. The wind mostly comes from the west and northwest. (If there _is_ an east wind, it means rain…) I well recall the “snowbelt effect” when I lived in Ontario. Yes, we in Toronto would get pounded, but it was nothing compared to what our friends in New York State got. Still, **Sunspace** , though I am in Alberta now, an east wind still means trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/38 "2018-07-30T13:03:34Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > “Quite a few” 10,000-foot mountains? > > Pikers! > > 🙂 Yeah, yeah, Colorado has its 14ers, I know… 😉 Oh by the way, I’ll be back in your beautiful state in just over a month. We’re having a family reunion in Colorado Springs in early September- right at the foot of Pike’s Peak. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/39 "2018-07-30T13:19:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Maybe? Arkansas has the hillier land in the north that isn’t as good for crops. That led to a division strong enough that we in the north basically ignored the slavery issue. Our accents are completely different–closer to those of Appalachia. That said, there’s no really a name for us–you can refer to the specific mountains, but both exist outside of Arkansas as well. Here are the [geographic areas](http://www.geology.ar.gov/education/physio_regions.htm) of Arkansas. I’m only familiar with the Ozark Mountains in the North, and the Mississippi delta in the South East. Driving from LR to Memphis on highways when I was a kid, there seemed to be nothing but farms from Stuttgart to West Memphis. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759/40 "2018-07-30T13:43:09Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And 4. A bizarre chunk of Berkeley, transplanted into South Central Wisconsin (that’d be Madison 😃 ). For sure! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-canadians-are-your-states-further-divided-by-meteorological-boundaries/818759.md?page=3)