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New Zealanders coming to live in America have quite a roller-coaster ride
waiting for them, especially if they end up east of the Rockies and north
of the Deep South! Summer in much of the USA is like living
in the tropics, with high humidity and temperatures frequently topping
100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius). Winter brings
Arctic weather, with temperatures in places like Chicago easily falling
below minus 20 degrees Celcius. Downtown, people
are often killed by icicles falling from skyscrapers.
You can blame this weather on America's "continental climate".
Unlike New Zealand, whose weather is moderated by the large oceans on all
sides, the continental United States is dominated by large land masses,
which allow winds from the north or south to travel for great distances,
bringing cold or hot air with them. Cold fronts can bring snow
on the same day as 80 degree (27 degree Celcius) temperatures, as I experienced
one day in New Jersey!
Fall is one of the more pleasant seasons of the year, with mild temperatures
and clear skies. When the leaves start to change color, hundreds
of thousands of spectactors, known in some places as "leaf peepers", travel
north, or seek out the mountainous areas of their own state.
In some places, this tourist activity is a major part of the local economy,
at least for three or four weeks of the year. Wherever this
spectacle occurs, local television stations show maps of where the color
is most vivid, just as the Japanese chart the steady progress northward
of the cherry blossom, and Indians follow the monsoon as it advances up
the country. I took time out while I was in New Jersey to visit
the Delaware Water Gap at this time, and you can see the Fall
foliage at some of its lakes. |
