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Due to the vast size of the US, temperatures and weather conditions vary greatly from state to state or region to region.

The Southeastern USA (from Florida on the Atlantic Coast into what is called “the deep South,” about 1000 miles inland, to Louisiana and Missouri) is characterized as hot and wet. The South in particular experiences very humid summers. For this reason, nearly all public buildings and most private residences have central air conditioning; without it, summers (especially August) can be brutal. Winters in the South are usually mild, but the southern states can also see their share of snow and ice.

The Southwestern USA is arid and includes a lot of natural desert. New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Utah, and southern California are all located in predominantly desert terrain. Temperatures in this part of the country can often soar well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the heat here is different from that experienced in the South as it is a much drier heat.

New England and the Eastern Seaboard have cold, snowy winters, changeable springs and autumns, but hot and steamy summers. The cold experienced here is unlike the cold in the UK and the rest of Europe. It is a biting cold, often with temperatures well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit and a high wind chill factor. It is not uncommon to experience blizzards in the winter, sometimes resulting in several feet of snow at a time. Weather in the Midwest is similarly variable.

There is genuine rain forest in the Northwest, west of the mountains, but it is arid and flat east of them. The Pacific Northwest, especially Seattle, is renowned for its rainy weather – not unlike the UK Although the total amount of rain that falls in Seattle each year is actually less than the amount that falls in New York, Seattle has many more cloudy days.

Alaska, surprisingly enough, can be very hot in the summer in some areas, in addition to the incredibly intense cold that pervades northern and central areas.

Most people consider Hawaii America's most exotic location, and this state has weather to match. Hawaii's temperatures rarely dip below the seventies (Fahrenheit) all year. Light rain showers are common on an almost daily basis, but they don't last long; most of the time, the islands enjoy blue skies and sunshine.

Much of the country is vulnerable to natural hazards, including earthquakes around the Pacific Basin, tornadoes in the central plains and mid-west, and hurricanes on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

To check into the history or current climatic condition by region, visit www.noaa.gov/climate.html.

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Expat Focus would like to acknowledge the kind help given by Kirstie Wilson of British Business Connection in compiling this guide.

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