Skip to content
LessonPrint

Why Climate Differs Across the US is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why climate differs across US regions, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.10.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 16 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Why Climate Differs Across the US

D2.Geo.10.3-5

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why are summers in the Southeast so humid?
  • A.Warm, moist air flows in from the Gulf of Mexico
  • B.There are no rivers or oceans nearby
  • C.Dry desert air blows in from Canada
2.Why are winters milder in Florida than in Minnesota?
  • A.Florida has taller mountains
  • B.Florida is much farther north
  • C.Florida is much closer to the equator
3.Why does the Gulf Coast get hurricanes?
  • A.These storms form over warm ocean water
  • B.Cold mountain air causes them
  • C.Hurricanes form only over deserts
4.Why do summers stay cool along the coast near San Francisco?
  • A.The sun never shines there
  • B.A cold ocean current cools the air near the shore
  • C.The city is in the far north of Alaska
5.Why does Hawaii stay warm all year?
  • A.It is near the North Pole
  • B.It is covered in ice
  • C.It is in the tropics and surrounded by warm ocean
6.Why do cities on the eastern shores of the Great Lakes get heavy snow?
  • A.The lakes freeze solid every summer
  • B.The lakes are saltier than the ocean
  • C.Cold air picks up moisture crossing the lakes and drops it as snow
7.Why is northern Alaska cold for most of the year?
  • A.It is close to the equator
  • B.It is surrounded by warm water
  • C.It is far north, near the Arctic
8.Why did the western Great Plains have grass but few trees before settlers came?
  • A.There was not enough rain for most trees to grow
  • B.Too much rain drowned the trees
  • C.Trees there grew too tall to count

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.10.3-5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why Climate Differs Across the US

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Warm, moist air flows in from the Gulf of Mexico
  2. 2.Florida is much closer to the equator
  3. 3.These storms form over warm ocean water
  4. 4.A cold ocean current cools the air near the shore
  5. 5.It is in the tropics and surrounded by warm ocean
  6. 6.Cold air picks up moisture crossing the lakes and drops it as snow
  7. 7.It is far north, near the Arctic
  8. 8.There was not enough rain for most trees to grow

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.10.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.