The United States is one of the biggest countries in the world. It has all sorts of geography, from deserts to beaches, mountains to flatlands. These conditions help create all sorts of weather: mild, moderate and extreme. In the summer, some areas get very hot and the air is very wet. But others have dry air, so the heat does not feel so bad. In the winter, parts of the country get cold and snowy while others stay warm and sunny. This is the difference between, for example, the East Coast and the West Coast. The oceans affect weather along the coasts. The Pacific coast has smaller temperature changes and calmer conditions than along the Atlantic. Hurricanes are ocean storms that strike mainly in the Southeast. The hurricane season is, officially, June through November. Tornadoes are a risk across the country. These are locally severe windstorms in the spring and summer.