PlainClimate

U.S. climate types: The Köppen class of every place, from NOAA's 1991-2020 normals

Classified from their NOAA 1991-2020 monthly normals, the 4,418 U.S. places PlainClimate covers fall into 21 Köppen climate classes; the most common are Cfa (temperate, no dry season, hot summer, 1,368 places), Dfa (continental, no dry season, hot summer, 996 places) and Dfb (continental, no dry season, warm summer, 824 places).

Which climate types are there in the United States?

Köppen classes of U.S. places, most common first, with the largest places in each
ClassWhat it meansPlacesLargest places
Cfatemperate, no dry season, hot summer1,368New York, NY, Houston, TX, Philadelphia, PA, San Antonio, TX
Dfacontinental, no dry season, hot summer996Chicago, IL, Columbus, OH, Indianapolis, IN, Boston, MA
Dfbcontinental, no dry season, warm summer824Worcester, MA, Fargo, ND, Rochester, MN, Ann Arbor, MI
BSkcold semi-arid steppe509Denver, CO, Albuquerque, NM, Colorado Springs, CO, Stockton, CA
Csbtemperate, dry-summer, warm summer169San Jose, CA, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR
Dsbcontinental, dry-summer, warm summer96Spokane, WA, Flagstaff, AZ, Coeur d'Alene, ID, Pullman, WA
Csatemperate, dry-summer, hot summer74Sacramento, CA, Pomona, CA, Pasadena, CA, Concord, CA
BShhot semi-arid steppe71Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Fresno, CA, Long Beach, CA
BWhhot desert61Phoenix, AZ, El Paso, TX, Las Vegas, NV, Tucson, AZ
BWkcold desert48Palmdale, CA, Victorville, CA, Las Cruces, NM, St. George, UT
Dfccontinental, no dry season, cool summer44Badger, AK, College, AK, Sterling, AK, Bethel, AK
Cfbtemperate, no dry season, warm summer34Beckley, WV, Black Forest, CO, Nantucket, MA, Waynesville, NC
Dwacontinental, dry-winter, hot summer27Marshalltown, IA, Spencer, IA, McCook, NE, Broken Bow, NE
Dwbcontinental, dry-winter, warm summer22Minot, ND, Jamestown, ND, Alexandria, MN, Brainerd, MN
Dsacontinental, dry-summer, hot summer16Salt Lake City, UT, Ogden, UT, Logan, UT, Bountiful, UT
Dsccontinental, dry-summer, cool summer15Anchorage, AK, North Lakes, AK, Kenai, AK, Palmer, AK
Awtropical savanna12Kaneohe, HI, Key West, FL, Naples, FL, Marco Island, FL
Aftropical rainforest11Fort Lauderdale, FL, West Palm Beach, FL, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Hilo, HI
Amtropical monsoon10Miami, FL, Hialeah, FL, Hollywood, FL, Pompano Beach, FL
Dwccontinental, dry-winter, cool summer7Tok, AK, Delta Junction, AK, Kivalina, AK, Tanana, AK
ETtundra4Utqiaġvik, AK, Nuiqsut, AK, St. Paul, AK, St. George, AK

How the classes are computed

Each place's class comes from its station's twelve monthly mean temperatures and precipitation totals, with the thresholds of Peel, Finlayson and McMahon (2007): the first letter is the main group (A tropical, B dry, C temperate, D continental, E polar), the second the dry season or its absence, the third the summer's warmth. It classifies the station's normals, not a mapped region.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals; Peel, Finlayson and McMahon (2007), Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11, 1633-1644.