There are two large mountain ranges in the United States and several smaller ranges. The two large ranges are the Rocky Mountains in the western portion of the country and the Appalachian Mountains in the east. These two ranges affect the climate in a couple of ways. The Rocky Mountains sap moisture out of weather systems coming from the West Coast and cause snow to fall in higher elevations. The systems recharge when they hit the eastern slope. The Appalachians are not as large but do have snowfall in higher elevations. They force rivers to run into the Midwest and to the eastern seaboard.
The Midwestern states sit on a large floodplain. The major arteries of the Mississippi, Ohio, Platte and Missouri rivers flow through this region. This makes the area subject to periods of flooding based on spring melt-off and heavy rains. Prior to the process of damming and flood control this flooding created fertile land along the rivers. These also provided transportation for the development of the country prior to the automobile.
The United States is home to a large desert region in the Southwest. This region is very arid and has a light amount of rainfall. It is one of the hottest regions in the country and covers several states.
The Great lakes comprise the bodies of water named Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It is an enormous water system that forms part of the border with Canada. It allows access to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway. These enormous water features are responsible for a phenomenon known as lake effect snow. This is when winds blowing from the western shores lift moisture off of the lake and then deposit it on the eastern shore as snow.
A chaparral is a small climatic feature that extends 50 miles inland and runs up the southern coast of California from San Diego to North of Los Angeles. The main features of this climate are warm temperatures and a low amount of rainfall for most of the year but a rainy season in the fall.
There is only one state in the U.S. that has a polar climate. This is the northern portion of the state of Alaska. This is the coldest region of the United States. It's also the only state that is affected with the phenomenon of the midnight sun. This is where it stays light for the whole day.
This area is a large portion of the interior portion of the United States. This covers an area on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. They are known for dry summers.
This covers the eastern half of the United States. It is known for temperature swings and a variety of seasons. Since it covers a zone where the polar fronts and the tropical fronts meet, there is a possibility of severe weather throughout the year. The spring and fall have rain, and depending on the latitude the winters will have snow.