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.