The Great Plains

                The Great Plains region is located right in the middle of the United States and takes up some area of Canada.  The Great Plains are extremely different than Washington state.  The Great Plains region is a flat region the has a lot of agriculture and meatpacking as a main economic base.  This is a region that experiences extreme weathers and has many hazards.  The freezing cold winds from Canada can often times be felt all the way to south Texas.  Heavy snow also occurs which cause blocked highways.  Washington's mountains experience snow as well but not as unexpected as some states in the Great Plains do.  Rain fall in the Great Plains is also minimal unlike Washington and the Pacific Northwest region.  The Great Plains region experiences certain cycles of drought about 20 years apart.  When there is minimal precipitation in combination with a bad economy, the region takes a devastating hit to the regional economy. 

                The Great Plains region was once considered the Great American Desert.  This was because there are no trees and the place looked "deserted" to the early explorers of the time (Hardwick, 2008).  This region is relatively flat with some rolling hills.  These hills were formed by erosion from the Rocky Mountains to the west.  There are a number of rivers running east all throughout the Great Plains.  These major rivers are the result of snow melt from the Rockies.  The weather in this region experiences different extremes throughout the year.  When months of drought is experienced followed by heavy rain, flooding is prevalent.  Areas in the Canadian portion experience average temperatures of 65F in July and 1F in January (Hardwick, 2008).  This is  also the region of the famous tornado alley.  Extending from North Texas into Kansas, tornados in this area can have more than 200 miles an hour. 

                Washington State has very different weather patterns and hazards.  Washington experiences rainfall on a regular basis so they are used water always running.  There is more rainfall in the Pacific Northwest region because of the mountainous topography.  The warm ocean to the west plays an important influence in combination with the winds.  The Great Plains lie in the rain shadow of the Rockies.  This brings warm, dry winds and weather.  Although the Great Plains have a nice, flat topography for farming, it does not get the rain it needs.  Eastern Washington is relatively flat and has areas of farming.  This area also sits in the rain shadow of the Cascade Ranges.          

Hardwick, Susan W., Shelley, Fred M., Holtgrieve, Donald G. The Geography of North America. Glenview, 2008. Print.