🇺🇸 Des Moines vs 🇺🇸 San Francisco

Des Moines in central Iowa has a classic humid continental climate at the heart of tornado alley. The flat prairie surrounding the city means no terrain barriers to weather from any direction — cold Arctic blasts, warm Gulf moisture, and severe spring thunderstorms all arrive unimpeded. The Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers provide some local flooding influence.

San Francisco's climate is shaped by its position on a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The coastal fog (Karl the Fog) rolls in through the Golden Gate each summer afternoon, keeping temperatures mild year-round. The city has dramatically different microclimates — the Sunset District fog-bound while the Mission basks in sun on the same day.