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Nashville has eight (and is just 0.2F from having nine) months averaging at least 50F (warm enough to qualify as subtropical in Trewartha's system) and a Koppen climate of Cfa (Humid subtropical), making it subtropical in both systems. It also lies in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a (2012) or 6b (1990) and has a 1981-2010 average temperature of 37.7F in January, so it's warm enough for hardy palm seedlings (namely Needle Palm and Dwarf Palmetto) to have a good chance of surviving long enough to reproduce, while the iconic Southern Magnolia also grows extremely well. However, it does have mostly deciduous trees and shrubs in the wild, and the December/January conditions are often alternately somewhat warm/unpleasantly chilly rather than consistently somewhat cool.
On the other hand, Beijing has a hardiness zone of 7b (the U.S. equivalent of Washington D.C., Roanoke and Memphis) with monsoon influence that, in the U.S., can only be found in the Southwest (excluding most of California) and half of the Deep South. However, the climate is continental (Dwa) in Koppen's system with January highs barely above freezing, January lows around 17F and influence from the Siberian High. It doesn't qualify in Trewartha's system either (which, ridiculously, even Turpan nearly does), as it has only five months averaging above 50F.
Which do you think?
P.S.: Yes, there was a thread like this years ago, but both cities (Eureka and Turpan) had dramatically different climates, with that debate being more about whether summer heat or winter warmth was more important in a subtropical climate. The latter overwhelmingly came out on top, with a five-to-one margin of Eureka vs. Turpan voters (even higher if you consider that one Turpan vote was accidental). On the other hand, this debate is more about whether consistent, prolonged but controlled cold or near-lack of any cold with a few extremes would be more subtropical.
EDIT: As always, thanks for your time reading this and input!
Nashville is definitely more Subtropical as in addition to cold snaps, they can also see warm snaps too. When was the last time Beijing saw 68F (20C) in winter? On average it happens at least a couple of times a year in Nashville.
Nashville is definitely more Subtropical as in addition to cold snaps, they can also see warm snaps too. When was the last time Beijing saw 68F (20C) in winter? On average it happens at least a couple of times a year in Nashville.
Only once in February, never in December, not even close in January. Yes, Nashville sees it at least a couple times a year in December and January alone, and usually several times in February, which tends to have highs in the mid 50s Fahrenheit or more at least half the time after Valentine's Day despite starting off cold.
Probably Nashville, That being said, I've wondered how much "effectively" subtropical in terms of biome E Asia is at the same latitude as the US given the somewhat lower negative deviations compared to average of those climates despite harsher winter averages.
As a side note, Beijing's monsoonal pattern isn't really similar to the SW, something like Lahore is probably a better analogue of the Arizonan/Desert SW climate in terms of overall patterns. The monsoon is just siginficiantly stronger in S Asia overall and it is more strongly shielded from cold snaps by the Himalayas.
Nashville really. The extremes may be misleading but the averages are lower. In addition it said whether 1871 data for Beijing would be colder. Only on average high in the interior of Tenesse would leave more subtropical than the Chinese capital with only 35.2F in January against 46.9F in the first.
Judging from the amount of sweat I would wring out of my clothes while moving my kiddo in (August) and out (May) of college at Vanderbilt University, I vote for Nashville!
Everyone walks around glistening with perspiration, all the time. I would need to take five showers a day if I lived there. UGH.
A better US city as an option would have been Beijing.
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