🇺🇸 Chicago vs 🇺🇸 Maui

Humid continental — cold harsh winters, hot humid summers, severe storms

Chicago lives up to its Windy City nickname. Lake Michigan creates its own microclimate — cooler summers and heavier lake-effect snow in winter. Summers are warm but brief; winters are among the harshest of any major American city.

Maui is known as the Valley Isle, with two volcanic mountains — Haleakala at 10,023 feet and the West Maui Mountains — creating dramatic climate variation across a single island. The island's diverse microclimates range from dry desert to rainforest within miles. Lahaina on the leeward side was tragically destroyed by wildfire in 2023, highlighting fire risk in dry leeward areas.