Why does the West Coast not get snow?

During the winter, land is much colder than the oceans. When the westerly winds blow over it, the air cools substantially. By the time it reaches the East Coast, the moist air is cold enough to convert into snow.

Why does the East Coast get snow and the West Coast doesn t?

The cold temperature on the East Coast is due to the winds. In the winter, the westerly winds blow warm moist air onto the West Coast, which makes it rain so much. By the time the moisture in the air gets to the East Coast, it is cold enough to produce much snow instead of rain.

Why is the Pacific coast warmer than the Atlantic?

Looking at the entire oceans, however, the Pacific Ocean is by far the warmest overall ocean because it has about four times the intense sun-heated surface area in the tropics compared with the Atlantic Ocean.

Does it snow on the West Coast of America?

The west coast’s snow is different in almost every way. The moisture contained in the snow comes from the Pacific Ocean, but to get to snowy locations like Colorado, that moisture has to travel over 1,000 miles and through coastal mountain ranges.

Why does it not snow in New York?

New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley see the least amount of snowfall because they see warmer temperatures from the warmer ocean temperatures and the nor-easters there are mixed with rain, between 10–25 inches.

Why is the west coast colder than the East Coast?

Along the west coast of the U.S., the California Current carries cold water from the polar region southward, keeping the west coast relatively cooler than the east coast.

Why is the Pacific Northwest so Rainy?

Low pressure systems are one of the main reasons the Pacific Northwest is so wet and rainy. Moist wind blowing in from the coast hits the Cascade Range, forcing the moisture higher and turning it into thick clouds and dense rainfall further inland.

Why is the Pacific coast water so cold?

The water along the coast of California is cold for a couple of reasons. First, the California Current brings cold water from Alaska southward along the coast. And second, cold water from the deep ocean comes up to the surface through a process called upwelling. So water from the deep ocean is sucked to the surface.

Why is the Pacific so cold?

It is produced by equatorial trade winds that blow from east to west, piling up warm surface water in the west Pacific, and also pushing surface water away from the equator itself. This makes way for colder waters to well up from the depths, creating the cold tongue.

Why is there no snow in Los Angeles?

Of course, snowfall has always been relatively unusual on the coastal lowlands of Southern California. “Because of our proximity to the Pacific,” Patzert said, “below-freezing temperatures are very rare. Our Mediterranean climate makes us mellow meteorologically. It smooths out the extremes in weather.”