Climatically, is Portland turning into the Bay Area? (summers, year)

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by gray horse

I've been here over 10 years from the Bay Area, the climate is getting very similar to what I was used to down there. Anyone that thinks summer is humid needs to buy a ticket to the east coast to learn what humidity is.

Portland can get humid sometimes in the summer. Not like back east, but it's not like the Rockies either. I consider dewpoints of 60 and upwards to be pretty muggy and 60-65 isn't too unusual for Portland in the summer time.

[gray horse]

Originally Posted by valsteele

Portland can get humid sometimes in the summer. Not like back east, but it's not like the Rockies either. I consider dewpoints of 60 and upwards to be pretty muggy and 60-65 isn't too unusual for Portland in the summer time.

Yes there can be a few days that are "muggy", that's not humidity. In California we called those muggy days "earthquake weather", as mugginess and somewhat yellow colored fog more than once accompanied earthquakes.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by gray horse

Yes there can be a few days that are "muggy", that's not humidity. In California we called those muggy days "earthquake weather", as mugginess and somewhat yellow colored fog more than once accompanied earthquakes.

Technically all air has humidity.

[gray horse]

Originally Posted by valsteele

Technically all air has humidity.

You are a rocket scientist so I'm not going to argue.

[pdxmilw]

I believe the weather is getting warmer. However, Portland's winter weather is quite variable. The winter of 04-05, which is the year I moved back to Portland after 15 years away, was very much like this one, although it was drier. I actually got a tan in January that year, just gardening in my yard.

[Shadow_Ash]

It is definitely getting warmer here than it used to be. But let's not complain it's still alright and could be much worse

[bler144]

Originally Posted by karlsch

"The researchers behind the paper, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, say anthropogenic greenhouse gas pollution could start having an effect on regional temperatures.

I wasn't trying to get into the global warming debate on what components are anthropogenic or permanent vs. natural cycle - I have better things to do with my day.

But even natural cycles that last a decade reflect "climate." Since ultimately climate is just a bunch of years' weather compiled together and averaged out.

Conversely if you're just talking about "weather" short-term phenomena become more relevant - like the fairly persistent high pressure ridge that keeps popping up off the Pacific coast. It may or may not be a long-term climate feature; it may or may not have anthropogenic causes, but it very, very much impacts the weather we've experienced this past year.

[pdwpdx]

It's not the really oppressive kind of humidity you'd find in the Midwest, East, and South, but it can definitely be there. I mention it because I've heard a lot of people say there is NO humidity here in the summer and I've not found that to be the case.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by pdwpdx

It's not the really oppressive kind of humidity you'd find in the Midwest, East, and South, but it can definitely be there. I mention it because I've heard a lot of people say there is NO humidity here in the summer and I've not found that to be the case.

I think 80F with 55% humidity is pretty humid, and that's not uncommon at all in Portland.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by valsteele

I think 80F with 55% humidity is pretty humid, and that's not uncommon at all in Portland.

Agree, esp. since increasingly the ambient humidity and warmer temps persist into evening hours and nighttime cooling isn't happening for a lot of structures that don't have A/C.