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I'm curious of what cities are situated in a microclimate or a physical setting that gives it a climate different than the surrounding area?
For example, I've always thought DC's location along the river in the low lying area gives it a much hotter more humid summer than the surrounding region.
What other cities or areas within a region have distinct micro climates?
I'd imagine there are some in the Bay Area and also possibly even between neighborhoods in cities with waterfronts (chicago, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans) or major topography changes.
I think the Bay Area is the classic example of the different micro climates. Go only a few miles east, north, or south of San Francisco and the temperature can vary by as much as 20 degrees. Foggy and 60 in the coastal areas of the city, sunny and 70 in the East Bay, and 80 and blazing on the other side of the Oakland Hills. And the latter two are in the region and commutable to downtown SF.
I'd say the western cities probably take the case on this due to terrain variability.
Vancouver B.C. comes to me. It can be rainy and 45 degrees in the city, and a short drive into the mountains will bring you 10 feet of snow and cold. Vancouver is surrounded by mountains that provide somewhat of an insulated feeling.
Great lakes. Blue Ridge/Eastern Appalachian Mountain towns (not only in the South). Cities along the NE coast.
The NE Ohio/Erie/Buffalo winters are the most brutal but the short summers are about as perfect as one can get. Lake Erie drops the temps about 10 degrees on the hottest days compared to inland regions. Evenings and mornings can be comfortably cool while afternoons hover in the 70s and low 80s. I was amazed when I moved to WNY that no one had AC. They were like, "We just open our windows."
Kane, PA. One of the coldest cities in the US.
Elkins, WV. The most overcast city in the US.
Last edited by bluecarebear; 09-12-2014 at 08:18 AM..
WNY has snow belts, for example Watertown NY on the Eastern Edge of Lake Ontario gets tons of snow, but just a few miles north they get much less because they are out of the fetch of the lake.
Same with the Southern Tier vs Buffalo.
Laguna Canyon is often much cooler at night in winter than the beach or even coastal foothills here. Just a five minute drive from the coast up to a dog park is often as much as fifteen degree change. Both Colorado and California are filled with micro-climates. Many times I have left the house in the morning when it's 65 degrees and encounter light frost just up the canyon only 2 miles.
Some of the mountain communities in SoCal that get significant snowfall are situated above deserts, like Idyllwild to Palm Springs (low desert), Wrightwood to Palmdale (high desert).
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Are we including urban heat island effects? In places like NYC, it can cause a temperature difference of at least 5 degrees F...
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