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I added that earlier. But generally SE Alaska is not much colder than eastern Montana and North Dakota in winter. You need to look at maritime influences.
Of all the states, when it comes to classification, Oklahoma, to me, is one of the most problematic. It's tough to shoehorn parts of the state into any region.
I dont see why Oklahoma is so complicated. Geographically it spans much of the same latitude as Texas and basically the same longitude as Texas. Basically any part of Oklahoma can pass for Texas. Whatever you consider Texas to be, throw Oklahoma in there.
I see it as South/Southwest. Its in the Southwest but also the South. Not Midwest at all though of course theres similarities. You dont border two Midwestern states with zero Midwest influences.
Precipitation maps are somewhat deceiving though in that they don't really give you an accurate measure for climate or ecosystem. Looking at that map, you might think Minnesota is somewhat arid in comparison to the rest of the Midwest, but because the ground is usually frozen for months on end in the winter, it requires less overall precipitation to sustain forests and lush greenery during the rest of the year.
In the South, the converse situation presents itself in the panhandle and Rio Grande valley of Texas. The rainfall map makes it look like it should be relatively green, but these areas are actually dried up scrubby wastelands.
This is true. Minneapolis gets a surprisingly low amount of rain for how east it is, but when you consider how much of the precipitation comes as snow, its still fairly wet. People underestimate how much lushness in spring also comes from snow melt, not just rainfall. Dallas gets slightly more rain than Minneapolis yet Minneapolis is much lusher and greener during the growing season.
I dont see why Oklahoma is so complicated. Geographically it spans much of the same latitude as Texas and basically the same longitude as Texas. Basically any part of Oklahoma can pass for Texas. Whatever you consider Texas to be, throw Oklahoma in there.
I see it as South/Southwest. Its in the Southwest but also the South. Not Midwest at all though of course theres similarities. You dont border two Midwestern states with zero Midwest influences.
But one of the Midwestern states that Oklahoma borders is arguably southern where it borders it. Southern MO is basically still the south.
But one of the Midwestern states that Oklahoma borders is arguably southern where it borders it. Southern MO is basically still the south.
Ehh. Southern Missouri has Southern influences but its still within a Midwestern state. Plus Oklahoma has more similarities with Kansas than Missouri anyway.
It gets more southern as you go east. SE Missouri is the most Southern part of that state, by a fairly significant margin.
This is NE Oklahoma. It's pretty Midwestern. There are even lots of local businesses using the "Midwest" tag in their name if you Google around the Miami area for example. https://goo.gl/maps/s9NeoaHRGeUghnnd7
You might not think of these areas as Midwestern, but a lot of people in that part of the world view themselves as Midwestern, and the lifestyle, culture, and local economy are more similar to places that are clearly in the Midwest than anywhere in the South.
The coldest climate in Minnesota is right by Lake Vermillion, Tower holds the state record low temperature of -60F set in 1996. Western Dakotas are milder in climate due to occasional chinook downslope winds off the Rocky Mountains that modify the cold to a decent extent.
Also, a big part of the reason why the Great Plains are so devoid of trees is not only just the semiarid conditions, but chinook disturbances in the winter. A majority of cold-adapted tree species simply can't handle freeze-and-thaw cycles in the winter; they need an uninterrupted cold period for dormancy.
Also, a big part of the reason why the Great Plains are so devoid of trees is not only just the semiarid conditions, but chinook disturbances in the winter. A majority of cold-adapted tree species simply can't handle freeze-and-thaw cycles in the winter; they need an uninterrupted cold period for dormancy.
Prairie fires and grazing from bison, deer, elk, antelopes, etc kept trees at bay as well.
Most of North Americas prairie biomes, even in the semi-arid places, would grow over to some form of trees or shrubbery if they had been undisturbed by those forces.
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