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

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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.Dry desert air blows in from Canada
  • B.Warm, moist air flows in from the Gulf of Mexico
  • C.There are no rivers or oceans nearby
2.Why is the Pacific Northwest so rainy?
  • A.It has no mountains to stop the clouds
  • B.Moist air from the Pacific rises over the mountains and drops rain
  • C.It is the closest region to the equator
3.Why do cities on the eastern shores of the Great Lakes get heavy snow?
  • A.The lakes are saltier than the ocean
  • B.Cold air picks up moisture crossing the lakes and drops it as snow
  • C.The lakes freeze solid every summer
4.Why does Hawaii stay warm all year?
  • A.It is in the tropics and surrounded by warm ocean
  • B.It is near the North Pole
  • C.It is covered in ice
5.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
6.Why did the western Great Plains have grass but few trees before settlers came?
  • A.Too much rain drowned the trees
  • B.Trees there grew too tall to count
  • C.There was not enough rain for most trees to grow
7.Why do summers stay cool along the coast near San Francisco?
  • A.A cold ocean current cools the air near the shore
  • B.The city is in the far north of Alaska
  • C.The sun never shines there
8.Why do the Great Plains get so many tornadoes?
  • A.The Plains are covered by thick forest
  • B.Tornadoes form only near the ocean
  • C.Warm, moist air from the Gulf meets cool, dry air from the north and west

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.10.3-5 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why Climate Differs Across the US

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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