Ch. 5:2 – Climate & Vegetation
tundra
coastlines of Alaska and Canada have (2)____________
The Arctic (1)_____________
Winters here are long and bitterly (4)________,
cold
climate and vegetation. (3)_________
summers are brief and chilly. A vast (6)___________
forest
while (5)____________
of
evergreen trees covers much of the rest of Canada and Alaska.
(7)_________________
highland
Rocky Mountains and the (9)_________
Pacific ranges have (10)__________
The (8) ________
vegetation The north central & northeastern United States
climate and (11)___________.
humid continental climate. In this
and much of southern Canada have a (12)__________________
deciduous and (14)___________
evergreen
area, there are mixed forests of (13)____________
trees.
California to southern Alaska has a
The Pacific coast from northern (15)___________
marine
Pacific
west coast
Ocean currents,
(16)______________
climate. This climate is affected by (17)________
prevailing
westerlies - winds that blow from
mountains and the (19)___________
the coastal (18)__________,
humid subtropical climate.
west to east. The southern states have a (20)___________________
summers are hot and (22)__________
muggy and winters are
This means that (21)___________
coasts of California have
usually mild and cool. The central & southern (23)________
Mediterranean climate. A long-growing season & (25) ____________
irrigation
a (24)______________
farming
fruit
make this region a rich (26)____________
area for (27)______________
and
vegetable
(28)______________crops.
Marine West Coast Climate
Characteristics
* Mild winters, mild summers.
* Low annual temperature
range.
* Heavy cloud cover; high
humidity.
* Frequent cyclonic storms,
with prolonged rain, drizzle
and fog.
Prevailing Westerlies
* Winds that occur between 30
and 60 degrees latitude.
* The air moves towards the
poles and appears to curve to
the east. Winds originate in
the west and travel east.
* These winds are responsible
for many of the weather
movements across the U.S.
and Canada.
The Great Plains and dry northern part of the Great Basin have a
semiarid
dry
(29)__________climate.
This means (30)_______weather
& vegetation
short grasses & (32)__________.
shrubs
that is mainly (31)______________
In the southwestern
desert areas are the (34)_____________
Mohave
states, large (33)_________
and the
Sonoran
cactus
(35)____________.
Some (36)____________
plants thrive in these areas.
Hawaii
Florida have
In the United states, only (37)__________
and southern (38)___________
tropical
tall grasses and
(39)____________
climates. Vegetation is mainly (40)_______________
Everglades a huge swampland
trees
scattered (41)________,
like those in the (42)___________,
Tornadoes strike so often in
that covers some 4,000 square miles. (43)_____________
Tornado Alley
an area of the Great Plains that it is called (44)_________________.