Most Climatically Diverse State/Province? (climate, hot, temperature, precipitation)

[grega94]

So I found these interesting Koppen maps on Wiki, they probably are not super accurate, but I think they do a pretty good job. So which of the following states/provinces have the most diverse climates? Also something to keep in mind is that some of these states only have a tiny microclimate that represents one of the climates, so for instance Washington has 14 distinct climates, but it's only dominated by 4 or 5 of them. Also some climates are more similar than others. Also when voting pick your top three picks.

State/Province [number of climates]

Colorado [16]

Utah [15]

New Mexico [14]
Washington [14]

Montana [13]
Nevada [13]
Oregon [13]

Idaho [12]
Wyoming [12]

Arizona [11]

Alaska [10]
California [10]
Hawaii [10]

British Columbia [9]
South Dakota [9]

Nebraska [8]
Texas [8]

Yukon [5]

Alberta [4]
Connecticut [4]
Florida [4]
Kansas [4]
Massachusetts [4]
New Jersey [4]
Newfoundland and Labrador [4]
New York [4]
North Dakota [4]
Nunavut [4]
Ohio [4]
Pennsylvania [4]
Rhode Island [4]

Illinois [3]
Indiana [3]
Iowa [3]
Maine [3]
Maryland [3]
Michigan [3]
Minnesota [3]
New Hampshire [3]
North Carolina [3]
Northwest Territories [3]
Ontario [3]
Quebec [3]
Saskatchewan [3]
Virginia [3]
West Virginia [3]

Georgia [2]
Kentucky [2]
Manitoba [2]
Missouri [2]
New Brunswick [2]
Nova Scotia [2]
Oklahoma [2]
South Carolina [2]
Tennessee [2]
Vermont [2]
Wisconsin [2]

Alabama [1]
Arkansas [1]
Delaware [1]
Louisiana [1]
Mississippi [1]
Prince Edward Island [1]

Also you can discuss any inaccuracies on the maps, or some unexpected climates found in some of these places.

[deneb78]

I would have guessed California would be #1 followed by Alaska and then BC just due to the size, latitudinal spread and mountainous terrain.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by deneb78

I would have guessed California would be #1 followed by Alaska and then BC just due to the size, latitudinal spread and mountainous terrain.

Yeah I had a similar inclination, but it's understandable why Colorado would be so high since it straddles both sides of the rockies so it experience different precipitation patterns whereas California only experiences mediterranean precipitation patterns. Also considering how large they are, they're not all that diverse only in there most southern regions are they super diverse.

Also I think this map uses colder thresholds for C climates since it considers Spokane to be Csb even though it's Dsb.

[srfoskey]

Those are some nice maps, but I prefer the 0°C isotherm for C/D climate split.
I originally put California, but I can also see Colorado because it has more variation in precipitation seasonality.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by grega94

Yeah I had a similar inclination, but it's understandable why Colorado would be so high since it straddles both sides of the rockies so it experience different precipitation patterns whereas California only experiences mediterranean precipitation patterns. Also considering how large they are, they're not all that diverse only in there most southern regions are they super diverse.

Also I think this map uses colder thresholds for C climates since it considers Spokane to be Csb even though it's Dsb.

Not all of CA is mediterranean precip pattern, the deserts and mountains get the summer monsoon

[lommaren]

California, British Columbia and Washington.

This is because I prefer to look at extremes of climate and large they are. No place in Alaska for example has hot summers, all of Colorado's climate zones are elevation-inspired and the state lacks a sea-level frost-rare climate, which in my mind disqualifies them.

California wins due to the mere co-existence of Eureka and Death Valley. It's a shoe-in. British Columbia is in second due to Tofino, Osoyoos and Fort Nelson being in the same province.

LaPush and Spokane combine to make Washington third.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by lommaren

California, British Columbia and Washington.

This is because I prefer to look at extremes of climate and large they are. No place in Alaska for example has hot summers, all of Colorado's climate zones are elevation-inspired and the state lacks a sea-level frost-rare climate, which in my mind disqualifies them.

California wins due to the mere co-existence of Eureka and Death Valley. It's a shoe-in. British Columbia is in second due to Tofino, Osoyoos and Fort Nelson being in the same province.

LaPush and Spokane combine to make Washington third.

Spokane isn't even that dry or hot, Tri cities are much hotter and drier.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by srfoskey

Those are some nice maps, but I prefer the 0°C isotherm for C/D climate split.
I originally put California, but I can also see Colorado because it has more variation in precipitation seasonality.

I agree about the 0 deg split. I find it quite hard to call Cleveland or Philadelphia "subtropical".

[Stitch227]

Originally Posted by speagles84

I agree about the 0 deg split. I find it quite hard to call Cleveland or Philadelphia "subtropical".

I agree they shouldn't be subtropical but the mean temp for Philadelphia in January is above 0C

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia#Climate

[Ed's Mountain]

Originally Posted by lommaren

California, British Columbia and Washington.

This is because I prefer to look at extremes of climate and large they are. No place in Alaska for example has hot summers, all of Colorado's climate zones are elevation-inspired and the state lacks a sea-level frost-rare climate, which in my mind disqualifies them.

California wins due to the mere co-existence of Eureka and Death Valley. It's a shoe-in. British Columbia is in second due to Tofino, Osoyoos and Fort Nelson being in the same province.

LaPush and Spokane combine to make Washington third.

Yes, this makes a lot of sense. Rather than counting Köppen it's better to consider extremes of temperature and precipitation. California, BC, and Washington do well in this regard. However, I'd suggest putting BC on top: neither California nor Washington have a real subarctic climate.