Banana Belt Towns and Windy Cities

[jimj]

Originally Posted by rickers

Well that's it ! I'm starting a banana plantation right smack dab in the middle of Camas Prairie ! All I need now is a mess of Illegal aliens to work it for me !

Sorry, they're busy plucking chickens!

[MikeyMike11]

Originally Posted by be_a_light

I have lived in Montana for about 5 years. I have lived in Superior and Eureka, two towns that claim to be "banana belt" towns--towns with winters that are more moderate in temperature.

I did a brief search on Google to see what communities in Montana claim to be "banana belt" communities. The communities in the Ruby Valley, (Sheridan, Twin Bridges, etc.) the Bitterroot Valley, (Hamilton, Stevensville, etc.) and the Lower Clark Fork region (Alberton, Superior, etc.) come up as well as Billings. I don't know if "banana belt" is a marketing label or a meteorlogical label for these communities.

I have noticed an overall increase of winds in western Montana. Has Montana become one big wind machine or are there still some areas that are protected from the wind? Conventional knowledge says that communities nestled in mountain valleys should be less windy but that doesn't really hold up in some areas anymore.

Let's chat.

I would agree those are all banana belt areas, for Montana at least. Bitterroot Valley and Billings are lower in elevation, but not sure why the Ruby Valley was included in there. Lots of geothermal activity around Silver Star, up through Whitehall maybe? It's not low elevation, but it is very dry, lots of sun. Maybe that's why. Beautiful area though... No one really goes there either.

As for wind in the summer, as soon as night falls, the air temperatures in the mountains drops very quickly, and this air pools into the mountain valleys, and will blow out of whatever canyon or gully it can. Bozeman will get like 30 mph gusts in the evenings as the air cool. Mornings are always much calmer for the opposite reasons.

Now pull out a map of the Pacific NW. Start at the Oregon Coast, trace your finger east to the Snake River Plain, between a gap in the Cascades. It is a broad flat expanse of lava rock, with not many impediments, and then continue east and north. Do you see that bottle neck headed into the Yellowstone Plateau? The moisture is dropped right there on the plateau and surrounding mountain ranges, and then makes it's way north through Paradise Valley. Continue tracing north and you will see a mountain gap, with a "Wineglass" formation, which is in fact called Wineglass Mountain, and you will quickly understand why Livingston may be one of the windiest places in the US. Make a small hole between your lips and blow onto your hand for maximum effect.

As for increasing wind speeds. This was a La Nina year, bringing with it heavy moisture. Now look back at the map, and notice the Bitterroot Range, and Centennials, which are in fact the Continental Divide. They will catch a ton of moisture on their windward side, and make the air lighter and faster moving. Imagine a plane fighting wildfires, dropping its load of water, and then shooting up into the sky. I would imagine there is a similar effect, which creates a lot of turbulence in the lower atmosphere, which meteorologists call Katabatic winds. Anyone in a mountain valley will tell you that just before a storm, they wind seems to shift in all directions. You've got about 15 minutes before a storm hits at that point, in my experience with Montana weather.

[Reziac]

https://etwof.com/gab/Wyoming_Wind_Sock.jpg

Applies to Livingston, too...

[melina wold]

moving to plains

I am going to move to plains mt and was wondering about the temps and wind and snowfall. rain is rain, it goes away quick. I now live in nw corner near eureka but at almost 5000 ft elevation and plains is a little less than half that. is plains considered a banana belt town??? could someone please help with this??? melina

[historyfan]

Seriusly old thread.

I have spent little time in Plains; however, I have bought trees from Lawyer Nursery, a Washington company with an off-shoot location by Plains.
I believe Plains & perhaps Dixon (where they grow melons commercially) are rated zone 5 for growing season purposes, which would be the mildest region in MT.

[NW Crow]

By historical data near Plains area (no official station directly in town), it is about 2-3 degrees warmer on average than Eureka in winter during day and 4-5 degrees warmer at night. About 5 fewer days below zero and 5-10 more days over 90. Summer highs average in mid to upper 80s both places. Probably more rain in Plains. About the same amount of snow but it can stick around longer in Eureka on average due to lower temps.

Not huge differences.