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@Deneb. The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are subject to different ocean currents, even different ocean temperatures. E. North America and E. Australia are different continents on different oceans. Europe is right across the same pond from North America, so a comparison is more apt. Note that Savannah is not just colder then Sydney in the winter, but also warmer than Sydney in summer. Totally different meteorological variables.
@Deneb: You do realize that Savannah and Myrtle Beach are at the same latitude as... Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia? Those are torrid places with basically three seasons: January, February, and SUMMER. Vancouver they are not. Coastal Georgia and South Carolina are subtropical.
I've always heard that Canadians are as ignorant of the States as Americans are of Canada. And that's pretty sad.
Deneb is talking about the arctic fronts that move thru Savannah and Charleston and cause unbelievably cold record lows compared to many other subtropical climates. Sydney is humid subtropical but doesn't get nearly as cold in winter (at times).
Almost every time we have a severe arctic outbreak you see on the weather maps the jet stream going way up over the western US, then sweeping down over the eastern US and Canada, and then abruptly shooting back up north over the Atlantic. Then the UK gets hit with SW winds predominately in winter which are pretty mild. Remove the Rocky mountains and these scientists claim the jet levels out over N. America. When that happens our winters are very mild. I really doubt Savannah or Charleston would go much below 25F ever without those huge dips in the stream.
Nothing to do with the Rocky Mountains. (although the Rocky Mountains would have an effect on the Jet Stream - but I don't think that is the main reason.)
Winds blow from West to East. We live on the West of the European continent facing the atlantic ocean, therefore we face the full brunt of mild westerly patterns. Pretty simple.
Not to mention that most of Europe is not on a plateau.
You missed the point of the article. Yes, Europe would be naturally milder than the US, but the Rockies add to that substantially. Prevailing winter airflow across the eastern US in the winter isn't due west. It's northwest. The author breaks down the difference causes. I've definitely posted that article before. And here's something else from the same thread:
the same author posted somewhat technical presentation slides on the subject. Starting at about page 24, is a number of slides showing a computer model result with and without the Rockies (actually all western mountains, the Rockies are the eastern part of the chain with a larger area and higher average though not peak elevation)
Only the northernmost portion of the US east of the Rockies shows drastic warming, as well as Canada. And true, Europe isn't on a plateau, but neither is the eastern half of the US. For example, the very cold Fargo, North Dakota is at only 900 feet.
Almost every time we have a severe arctic outbreak you see on the weather maps the jet stream going way up over the western US, then sweeping down over the eastern US and Canada, and then abruptly shooting back up north over the Atlantic. Then the UK gets hit with SW winds predominately in winter which are pretty mild. Remove the Rocky mountains and these scientists claim the jet levels out over N. America. When that happens our winters are very mild. I really doubt Savannah or Charleston would go much below 25F ever without those huge dips in the stream.
Judging from the pdf I just post, the jet stream would also level out over western Europe, it would be more westerly than southwesterly in the UK.
I wonder if a similar effect happens in South America. Perhaps not a fair comparison though because the latitudes are so different.
Also I wonder what happens in the summer when North America warms up to equal or even exceed Europe. Presumably the cooling effects of the topographically-forced atmospheric waves are offset by solar heating of the land? Meanwhile Europe continues to receive the moderate west-east flow off the Atlantic.
I think the prevailing wind direction changes in the summer, due to the interior being as hot or hotter than the coast. Plus the jet stream is weaker, so there's less of a wave to shift.
Judging from the pdf I just post, the jet stream would also level out over western Europe, it would be more westerly than southwesterly in the UK.
Why wouldn't we warm up significantly in the east if the jet stream leveled out? When the jet stream is level in winter we have quite mild temps, highs in the 40's lows in the low 30's or upper 20's. Never the teens.
Why wouldn't we warm up significantly in the east if the jet stream leveled out? When the jet stream is level in winter we have quite mild temps, highs in the 40's lows in the low 30's or upper 20's. Never the teens.
From my link, it predicts Philly would warm by about 2°C. Maybe only 1°C, map isn't the sharpest.
From my link, it predicts Philly would warm by about 2°C. Maybe only 1°C, map isn't the sharpest.
Wouldn't be too bad. Jan averages of 44/29. I bet record lows and winter standard deviation would change though. Not as high deviation of temps from the averages, and record lows much higher. A more stable winter regime would take place.
Nothing to do with the Rocky Mountains. (although the Rocky Mountains would have an effect on the Jet Stream - but I don't think that is the main reason.)
Winds blow from West to East. We live on the West of the European continent facing the atlantic ocean, therefore we face the full brunt of mild westerly patterns. Pretty simple.
Not to mention that most of Europe is not on a plateau.
I agree with Mac15.
Prevailing winds blow west to east, that is the key.
Eastern areas of continent have a more "continental climate", even at of near the coast.
As for North America being the "coldest" continent after Antarctica, I say no, Asia is.
Here are two prime examples to prove my point...
For example: Philadelphia and Beijing, both are slightly south of 40N
Philadelphia....Beijing , average highs and lows in F
JAN 40/26 JAN 35/17
FEB 44/28 FEB 41/22
MAR 53/34 MAR 53/33
APR 64/44 APR 69/46
MAY 74/54 MAY 79/57
JUN 83/63 JUN 86/66
JUL 87/69 JUL 88/72
AUG 85/68 AUG 86/69
SEP 78/60 SEP 78/59
OCT 67/48 OCT 66/46
NOV 56/39 NOV 50/32
DEC 45/30 DEC 39/22
Another example farther south at slightly north of 31N
Shanghai.....Brunswick, Georgia USA
JAN 47/34 JAN 63/42
FEB 49/36 FEB 66/46
MAR 55/42 MAR 72/51
APR 66/52 APR 78/57
MAY 75/61 MAY 85/65
JUN 82/69 JUN 90/72
JUL 89/77 JUL 92/74
AUG 88/75 AUG 91/74
SEP 81/69 SEP 86/70
OCT 73/59 OCT 79/61
NOV 63/48 NOV 72/52
DEC 52/37 DEC 64/45
Let's just say I'd rather take my winter vacation in Brunswick,GA than Shanghai, China
Beijing has a colder January average low than even where I live in Canada
Pyongyang, North Korea is actually slightly farther south than Beijing but has an even colder January!
As for the Rocky Mountains being a big factor on the climate of eastern North America, I'm not so sure.
For me removing the coast mtns. (or farther south the Cascades/Sierra Nevada) is a bigger deal, if they weren't there, then oceanic influence on climate in the west would be spread more inland east to the Rockies.
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