Andrew Wolowiec Mrs. Zickert Computers 9 22 July 2011 United States Weather Analysis The United States of America spans an entire continent. Coast to coast, its one country. So naturally, one must ask himself, ‘how diverse is the weather?’ Well, the answer awaits you just a bit further on in this paper. I have selected three US cities. One each from the east, west, and center of our great country, and collected all the essential weather data from each city over a 12 hour period, compiling all the data into a workbook, for the satisfaction of your, and my, curiosity. Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit) When most people think weather, they think temperature. It’s what determines activities for any particular day; should we go to the beach, or stay inside? Should we go sledding, or is it too cold? The temperature across the country throughout the day of July 21st varied from 62 degrees to 101 Temperatures Across the States degrees Fahrenheit. As is visible in the graph to the 120 left, surprisingly, the west coast was the coldest, the 100 center the warmest, and the east coast just under 80 the center. Los Angeles 60 40 20 0 Another common factor one associates with weather is humidity. This measure of moisture in the air helps to determine how hot it feels outside. New York With a lower humidity, it is generally feels cooler City than with a higher humidity. With a high humidity, it may be only 75 degrees, but feel like 80. On July Time 21, 2011, humidity across the country spanned from 40% to 100% throughout the day. The highest humidity for most of the day was in Los Angeles, the medium humidity was in New York City, and the lowest Humidity Across the States was in Chicago. Notice that the city with the highest 120% humidity had the lowest temperature, and the city with 100% the lowest humidity had the highest temperature. 6:00 PM 3:00 PM 12:00 PM 9:00 AM 6:00 AM Chicago 80% 60% Los Angeles 40% Chicago 20% 0% 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM Wind speed also has some effect on daily life. Not surprisingly, Chicago, The Windy City, had the highest average wind speed, at 10.85 mph. Next was New York, with 8.77 mph, and Los Angeles with an average wind speed of 4.08 mph. Visibility is a major concern with New York City drivers, pilots, and ship captains. The highest visibility for the 21st of July was in Chicago; an average of 9.92 miles. Los Angeles and New York City had averages of 6.77 and 4.92 miles respectively. Also important to those participating in outdoor activities is the UV index. The lowest average UV index on the day was in Los Angeles, at 0.85. Chicago and New York were very close, with 4.08 and 4.62 respectively. On the particular day of July 21st, 2011, Los Angeles had the mildest weather. With temperatures in the high 60’s and low 70’s, a mid to high level of humidity, a slight breeze, and a low UV index, it would have been a nice day to be in LA. However, it is impossible to judge the “hottest” or “coldest” part of our country with data from just one day and only three cities. However, it is safe to say that on any particular day, you will find a fair amount of variation in the weather of the United States of America.