🇺🇸 Chicago vs 🇺🇸 Scranton

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.

Scranton in the Wyoming Valley of northeastern Pennsylvania has a humid continental climate influenced by the Pocono Mountains. The valley position creates cold air pooling in winter while the mountains above can receive significantly more snow. The city's mining history has created complex underground terrain that influences surface drainage and settlement.