Kansans have always been a little smug when other people complain about their weather. We have some justification for that. Our state is in the Continental Climate Zone - which mostly means the oceans and Great Lakes are so far away that they can’t have a tempering effect on our weather. Kansas can be much hotter and colder than the coasts. But zone also is determined by an area’s altitude and other features. For example, due to altitude differences there’s an Alpine Zone next door in the Rockies. The California Current brings Alaska’s cold ocean waters down our west coast, with cooler temperatures as a result. But, the Gulf Stream takes the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters up our southeast coast and eventually makes it possible to grow bananas and Christmas gardens in Great Britain!
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu