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The West Coast as far as the Canadian border has winters as mild as the Deep South. Denver is a mile up yet has hot summers and winter highs of 40F. Phoenix is at 32N yet is one of the hottest places in the world.
Even Montana, as cold as it is should be much colder. Why? Does the Pacific exert an effect similar to the Gulf Stream? Of course most of the West is cold in the winter, but not nearly as much as you'd think considering every 1,000 feet is supposed to make a climate 5F colder.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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From what I understand, it seems the Pacific moderates West Coast climate, though in the winter the interior US from the Midwest and much of the East is affected by cold air masses coming due south down from Canada. The Rockies being a north to south mountain range allignment keeps cold fronts from Canada and Gulf moisture and to the East for the most part.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 09-09-2013 at 09:39 AM..
Due to ocean currents, the western side of continents generally have much milder winters than the eastern sides.
As an example, look at how far north Europe is on a map. "Northern" U.S. cities like New York and Chicago are at similar latitudes to places like Rome and Barcelona in Europe. There are no major cities in Eastern North America as far north as Paris, Berlin, or London. None.
In contrast, East Asia (particularly China) has a climate very similar to the Eastern U.S. Beijing is very similar in climate to a city in the U.S. Northeast or Midwest, save for being a bit dryer.
The same thing also holds true in the southern hemisphere in places. For example, coastal Chile is much more mild year round than Argentine Patagonia just across the Andes. There is less land in the southern hemisphere overall though, so the examples are less stark.
The West Coast as far as the Canadian border has winters as mild as the Deep South. Denver is a mile up yet has hot summers and winter highs of 40F. Phoenix is at 32N yet is one of the hottest places in the world.
Even Montana, as cold as it is should be much colder. Why? Does the Pacific exert an effect similar to the Gulf Stream? Of course most of the West is cold in the winter, but not nearly as much as you'd think considering every 1,000 feet is supposed to make a climate 5F colder.
Because the jet stream moves from West to East. Plus the pacific ocean is very mild. Meaning you are going to have mild winters, and cool summers. The continental masses are colder in the winter than the oceans.
Plus the entire western half of North America is covered in mountain ranges, which act as a barrier against arctic air from the North...
The climate in the Pacific NW and completely different from the climate in the Desert SW.
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