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I imagine I would get acclimated if I lived there. I know here that lows in the 30s don't feel so cold after a stretch of nights, say below 20 F.
Now if I just arrived from the warm and steamy Eastern US, I'm sure I would find a typical summer night in West Yellowstone 'cold'.
Have you thought about spending a vacation in Texas or Arizona in the summer? Not only would you get acclimated but you would like NJ summers a lot more afterwards.
Have you thought about spending a vacation in Texas or Arizona in the summer? Not only would you get acclimated but you would like NJ summers a lot more afterwards.
I agree. New Jersey summers would feel refreshing after spending time in Texas or Arizona.
I gave it a B-, I wish summers were cooler, and I wish there were no chinooks..
Uhh... you don't have to worry about chinooks in W. Yellowstone. They are not along the east slopes of the Rockies, nor are they in a chinook zone. I used to live near there, and trust me, they do not get chinooks. Great Falls, Livingston, Lewistown, Cut Bank, Browning, Billings, Big Timber... those are your chinook zones.
Just FYI. Oh, and I gave it a "D" due to the severity of the cold winters, although the summers are quite pretty there.
I give this one an A. It's one of if not the best climates in the United States outside of Alaska. Winters are nice - cold enough with plenty of snowfall, it's prone to bitter cold snaps in winter, does not experience chinook winds, and does not usually experience major thawing in winter (plus the snow depth is so great that major thawing can't eliminate all of it). Springs and Autumns are about right for me, with the major feature that sticks out in my mind being the cold nights (that I wouldn't mind a bit). Summers are too warm in the daytime but it's more than balanced by wonderfully cool nights, with ground frost being commonplace. Humidity is almost always low, and precipitation levels are great - dry but with a lot of wintertime snow. A final bonus is that this place has a 100% chance of a White Christmas - from 1924 onwards no Christmas has ever recorded less than 8 inches of snow on the ground. How many other towns in the lower 48 can compete with that figure?
I give this one an A. It's one of if not the best climates in the United States outside of Alaska. Winters are nice - cold enough with plenty of snowfall, it's prone to bitter cold snaps in winter, does not experience chinook winds, and does not usually experience major thawing in winter (plus the snow depth is so great that major thawing can't eliminate all of it). Springs and Autumns are about right for me, with the major feature that sticks out in my mind being the cold nights (that I wouldn't mind a bit). Summers are too warm in the daytime but it's more than balanced by wonderfully cool nights, with ground frost being commonplace. Humidity is almost always low, and precipitation levels are great - dry but with a lot of wintertime snow. A final bonus is that this place has a 100% chance of a White Christmas - from 1924 onwards no Christmas has ever recorded less than 8 inches of snow on the ground. How many other towns in the lower 48 can compete with that figure?
I say you are wrong about this place not experiencing Chinook winds or major thaws. This part of Montana is known for extreme temperature swings in the winter due to Chinooks. Chinooks are also more potent at higher elevations where warm air accumulates, compared to sea level. Also, with the average high at 24F, it is very likely for this climate to experience periodic thaws in the winter. The record high for the coldest month is well above 50F, maybe even greater or so after this last winter. One fact to consider here is that the winter climate of West Yellowstone is milder than those in comparable latitudes at lower elevation further East, despite of its extreme high altitude. If not for the Chinooks and periodic thaws, the January average high for this place should be well below that of Fargo and International falls. I don't want to spoil your dreams climate, but your expectations of this place are way higher than they should be. I think you're better off with somewhere in northern MN, or Michigan
I say you are wrong about this place not experiencing Chinook winds or major thaws. This part of Montana is known for extreme temperature swings in the winter due to Chinooks.
Actually, that part of Montana you mention is on the east slope of the mountain ranges. Helena, Billings, and Rapid City experience chinook winds due to the local terrain. Yellowstone doesn't share that. You can check the weather data yourself; chinooks are absent, though ordinary warmer spells are not. Also, snow depth data bears out my position. For instance, Helena, which averages less than 10F warmer, has record highs in the 60's and even approaching 70F. Other sites display this pattern that Yellowstone does not exhibit. This is due to the local topography. Yellowstone is on a plateau with no mountain ranges to the west that can act the way that the local ranges do on the downwind slopes. I also carefully monitored the weather and weather forecasts for the past year - the place does not experience chinook winds, even when the actual chinook zones did (most parts of Montana, Rapid City, etc.). Also, there were no record highs broken this past winter - the winter of 2012 was actually fairly typical in that part of the U.S., at least relative to the top-10 stuff that was seen in the East.
Plus, your information isn't accurate - the monthly record high for January is 47F, and for December it's 54F and in February it's 56F. This actually compares well to Winnipeg, which is not in a chinook zone.
There are certainly periodic thaws in this climate, but major thawing (as in sustained temperatures above 40F) is about as common here as a 70F day in Kentucky. Just look at the wintertime record highs day by day - they're good-looking. Again, this compares favorably to many spots in the East. There is also the matter of this place getting more snow than most of the snowier spots in the Eastern U.S. (again, look at the snow depth statistics). There are snowier places in the East, though, but none feature the consistent low humidity and cool to cold nights that Yellowstone has to offer.
I know more about this climate than you do, and I have thoroughly researched the data regarding this place before rendering my rating of the best lower 48 climate.
I'd prefer somewhere in Alaska over this place, but all things considered this is better than anywhere in Michigan or Minnesota.
The deviation in daily January highs is around 8°F-9°F; a bit lower than Western Massachusetts. The devation in daily January lows is really high; 15-17°F. But with the average low around 0°F who cares? It would take a large swing to get a minimum near freezing. So, might some slightly above freezing highs and the lows will be well below freezing ensuring minimal melting.
Looking at wunderground data both Jan 2011 and Jan 2011 had a highest temperature of 35°F.
The deviation in daily January highs is around 8°F-9°F; a bit lower than Western Massachusetts.
I suspected that, though I had no confirmation.
Quote:
The devation in daily January lows is really high; 15-17°F. But with the average low around 0°F who cares? It would take a large swing to get a minimum near freezing. So, might some slightly above freezing highs and the lows will be well below freezing ensuring minimal melting.
More confirmation...
Quote:
Looking at wunderground data both Jan 2011 and Jan 2011 had a highest temperature of 35°F.
Both Jan 2011 and Jan 2011? Double counting appears to not just be an accounting problem.
Both Jan 2011 and Jan 2011? Double counting appears to not just be an accounting problem.
Whoops meant to write Jan 2012 and Jan 2011.
Range in low temperatures is impressive in both Januarys (almost 60°F) while the range in high temperatures is about half of that or a little less.
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