Microclimates: Neighborhoods and The WIND!!!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Farmer15

Thanks, Stealth and friends, for the windy.com web link. It's amazing! My husband never had so much fun. (Not sure I'll be getting any work out of him today.)

Haha, yeah when Stealth is on a roll, look out! There are all kinds on gems to mine and time to spend doing it.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by USDefault

As someone else said, don't overthink the wind issue. It shouldn't be your main criteria. You won't be in the Gorge. You won't even be in the mouth of the Gorge. And it sounds like you'll be below 1000 feet in elevation. All of these mean you will not ever experience the truly big wind blasts that people in the Gorge and directly in front of the Gorge experience.

In answer to your question, yes, the wind speeds drop very quickly as you head further west, and further north. We could have 25 mph in Camas during a Gorge wind event, but a couple miles west or a mile north, it could be half that -- though topography, slope location and your precise placement means everything. Even a few feet of distance could mean a big difference, as tall trees, large shrubs, rocks, and other features make excellent windbreaks.

Fort Vancouver is a significant distance away from the Gorge. You're not getting big Gorge winds there, period. Look at windy.com during a winter wind event. The wind mph drops very fast the further west of the 205 you go, same thing as you head north.

Finally, as someone else said, the weather here is mild. The Pacific Ocean is a major moderating force to our weather. Not too cold in winter, snow rare, days below freezing are few, relatively mild spring summer fall, usually low humidity. East Coast and Midwest winters and summers are orders of magnitude worse: I've been in enormous blizzards with feet of snow in upstate New York (those people are prepared to go a week or two without power, and it does happen) and terrible winter conditions all over the eastern seaboard. If you are on the coast in the New England states, congratulations, because in winter you need to deal with freezing temps, big snows, winds, and the damn coastal flooding, which is getting really bad now, it's a nightmare. Minnesota, you don't know cold until you've been outside in -10 F, it hurts to breathe and walking outside your hotel at night literally takes your breath away, and in this case I mean to use the word literally when you go from 73 degrees to -10 degrees. Chicago? Hate it in winter, now that is a city where you can get 60mph wind gusts and I really, really hate it, tons of snow and ice too. Late spring and summer sucks in most of the US: blazing hot, humid, hordes of biting insects, etc. You can't do anything in Arizona and Nevada in the late spring and summer during the day, 120 F is satanic. We're not Hawaii or San Diego, but our weather is pretty good compared to the rest of the U.S.

Thanks for answering that specific question which really addresses the larger one I have about 'microclimates' in the Vancouver/Camas region. Wind is just one element of those cold fronts moving in from the east. With the wind comes the wintery blasts up from the Gorge which can include ice, freezing rain and difficult driving conditions in one's immediate neighborhood and driveway. So those homes more sheltered from it would be more protected at least in part. Then there is the conscious decision to 'face the wind' straight on for the benefit of views. I think Stealth mentioned that being a decision he's made. I would also imagine quite a few of those owners of million$+ homes with views of the Columbia thought about the trade offs before spending that kind of money.

There are lots to be said for Views and associated nice(r) neightborhoods! I would also be willing to put up with 'some' winds if beautiful views came along with them. Where we live now we have a fantastic view of the pacific and enjoy watching the sunset over the water. It really is awesome. But would I want to be on the windest point in Camas/Vancouver for the view? Probably not. Yet maybe there is a happy middle ground in places semi-protected while still offering decent views even if from the local streets. In that area of the PNW you have views of a variety of beautiful things: rivers, lakes, mountains, etc... Cost of course is another issue to consider in those areas.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Answering the questions backward - the problem with living in the Vancouver area, is that you are not part of Oregon, yet all your news and info comes from there. Olympia and Seattle are uninterested in your issues as they don't really consider you part of Washington, either...

On the gravel bars:

One of the things that shaped the geography of the area was the Missoula Floods, a series of massive floods during the Pleistocene...
If you are driving north on I-205, you notice the land rises as you head toward the river - that is the remaining gravel bars, in the Alameda area in Portland and Cascade Park in Vancouver. Past Cascade Park, the land drops back down to the normal level. It's also why radon can be an issue in both those areas (if you have basements) because the gravel carried by the floods is granitic (among other things) and can carry very trace amounts of uranium.

You'll also find that if you live in Cascade Park all the tool rental companies red-line your area and won't rent you digging or ditching machines, lol, you'll turn up too many rocks.

Here, this is fun:
https://www.opb.org/television/progr...episodes/1001/

I've been part of the groups that led undergraduates on long tours of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, tracing the effects of the floods.

PNW-type-gal, thanks for the background including history of the area and gravel bars. That is very interesting and something look forward to reading more about. It sounds like gravel is also something one must consider if they want to have a garden, plant trees, etc...

Derek