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Surprising Science

Road Trip! Two Maps for Living in 70°F Comfort Every Day of the Year

America’s interstate system is the path toward year-round temperature comfort.

Want to go to a place where every day is warm, but not too warm? Well, you’ll have to chase that perfect day.

Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist, has put together an interesting post that visualizes how a (subjectively) perfect day moves and where you need to drive in order to find it throughout the year. He even provides a road map, so those wishing to chase the optimal day can.

“Imagine that you really like days where the high temperature is 70°F and you wanted to plan a road trip where the temperature always hovers around 70°F,” he writes in his blog. “Well, I have done the planning for you.”

The data supporting this road map comes from the daily “normal” high temperatures from the National Centers for Environmental Information and Environment Canada. The trek takes you through a good portion of the United States, across Canada, and to Alaska. The total distance of this yearlong journey is estimated at 13,235-miles.

If you’re looking to stay just in the United States, Brettschneider created a map for that as well. The end result is a shorter 9,125-mile hike.

Another map he made also shows the progression between national local stations where the normal daily high temperature is 70°F at different days in the year. It looks like a bunch of red dots migrating north for the summer and coming back down south for the winter:

However, this map may change in the coming years due to climate change — a fact Brettschneider displays on his Twitter feed.

What a difference a year makes. Lakes frozen over in 2014 but ducks swimming on same date this year. @akwxpic.twitter.com/CyhOjFpqir

— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) October 23, 2015

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Natalie has been writing professionally for about 6 years. After graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Feature Writing, she snagged a job at PCMag.com where she had the opportunity to review all the latest consumer gadgets. Since then she has become a writer for hire, freelancing for various websites. In her spare time, you may find her riding her motorcycle, reading YA novels, hiking, or playing video games. Follow her on Twitter: @nat_schumaker

Photo Credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Staff


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