How do Americans deal with the sweltering summers AND freezing winters there?

[Anonymous]

I'm from the UK and I visited the US (Michigan) last January and it was biting cold with blizzard after blizzard and in some days, the temperature dropped to minus 20.

Then I went again last July thinking that if the winters are like that bad the summers must be pretty mild and nice.

NOPE, I went there in July, and it was swelting with the temperature routinely going above 30 degrees and on top of that it was humid.

I mean I get that some people can deal with extreme heat or extreme cold because it's like that where there from but how can anyone cope with both?

[BTigers96]

The continental United States is a vast and includes several different weather ecosystems. Michigan no doubt is one of the coldest states in the country. The Great Lakes make the weather very humid, and unpredictable.

We live in the southeastern part of the U. S. where summers are hot, and tropical thanks the the Gulf Steam. (I'm not talking Atlanta hot either, I mean the kind of heat/humidity that makes an Atlanta summer feel mild) Winters are mild where the coldest month high temps are only 50's-60F.

Most Americans don't have to deal with both hot/cold extremes. Northern climates can get "hot" in the summer months for a brief period of time (2-3 weeks) or have one-offs where they get unseasonably warm weather for a day or two, but it's short lived. Vice versa for the southern portions of the United States. People up north think their summers are HOT and people down south think their winters are COLD... lol. I've lived in both areas I can promise summers down south are waaaaay hotter and the winters up north are waaaay colder. :)

[Anonymous]

It kind of depends on where in America you are. Keep in mind that the United States, in terms of landmass, is almost as big as the entirety of Europe combined. Like, I'm in Louisiana. We get sweltering summers, but only maybe two weeks of actual winter. We only get snow for like 2 days once every 3-5 years. It does get below freezing temp here, but not by much and not for very long.

For those of us who stay in one place, it's pretty easy to adjust. Winter is so short, I barely need to prepare for it. And summer is about 80% of the year, so you just learn to really value A/C and hydration.

And for those few of us who have more money than anyone should, they travel. They have a house in the north and another in the south. They go south when it's cold and north when it's hot. That way they're basically always comfortable.

[avery58]

Well, it's a big country so it depends on the location. Florida summers are some of the worst but the winters are not bad at all, it's barely cold or even that...

[Asker]

I went to the same place both times.

[Nikki1989]

I was born and raised there, and no such thing as perfect weather in the USA. It is either too cold, too hot or it is raining or even worse snowing.

[buzzword]

Where I live in Florida, temperatures at summer solstice have an average high of 89° F and an average low of 72° F. At winter solstice the average highs are 72° F and the average lows are 51° F. It never truly freezes here. You might get a light frost for an hour or two once or twice a year in winter, but otherwise it's relatively moderate in winter.

[slatyb]

That's a continental climate. The UK has a maritime climate. So does the coastal US. The best weather is in Southern California, but it's mild all along the Pacific coast. Seattle is similar to London.

[exitseven]

I live on the coast so it never gets that hot.

[jahaims]

Humans adapt to their environment

[In_Trance]

You answered your own question