Editing Great Plains (section)

===Climate===
In general, the Great Plains have a wide range of weather, with very cold and harsh winters and very hot and humid summers. Wind speeds are often very high, especially in winter.

The 100th meridian roughly corresponds with the line that divides the Great Plains into an area that receives {{cvt|20|in}} or more of rainfall per year and an area that receives less than {{cvt|20|in}}. In this context, the High Plains, as well as [[Southern Alberta]], south-western Saskatchewan and [[Eastern Montana]] are mainly [[Semi-arid climate|semi arid]] steppe land and are generally characterised by [[ranch|rangeland]] or marginal [[Agriculture|farmland]]. The region (especially the High Plains) is periodically subjected to extended periods of [[drought]]; high winds in the region may then generate devastating [[dust storm]]s. The eastern Great Plains near the eastern boundary falls in the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone in the southern areas, and the northern and central areas fall in the [[humid continental climate]].

Many [[thunderstorm]]s occur in the plains in the spring through summer. The southeastern portion of the Great Plains is the most [[tornado]] active area in the world and is sometimes referred to as [[Tornado Alley]].