The city is located on the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau, in a high desert valley, Cedar Valley, with no ocean drainage. The climate is the typical cool semi-arid climate ("BSk") of the Mountain West, though snowfall can be quite heavy, reaching a historical maximum of in January 1949. Interstate 15 connects the city with St. George (50 miles) and Las Vegas (170 miles) to the southwest, and to Interstate 70 (75 miles) and Salt Lake City (250 miles) to the north. State roads connect Cedar City with Panaca, Nevada, near US 93 (80 miles); and to Kanab, via US-89 (80 miles). Similar to St. George, the city enjoys an excellent location on the West's regional transportation network. Los Angeles is southwest and San Diego is southwest on Interstate 15, Phoenix is south via Interstate 15 and US-93, and Denver is northeast via Interstates 15 and 70.