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Comparing London the Vancouver is a bit off because Vancouver is right on the Pacific Ocean whereas London is 200 km east of the Atlantic. 200 km inland of Vancouver gives you Lytton. Try comparing Lytton to London.
Yes, I know that London has ocean just to the east, but that doesn't count because the prevailing winds blow from the west.
On a plane it actually takes an hour to reach the atlantic from London so London is FAR AWAY from the atlantic.
The atlantic is 40 miles from me. 400 from London.. Not 100...
Add the semi-permanent Azores high and the Icelandic low, and you get a nice highway of warmer westerlies. Also the Jet stream is normally below or upon the PNW bringing unsettled weather and allows northerlies, while in Europe it's normally touching the Norwegian coast. The avg speed is also higher in the PNW.
The west coast of North America has the equivalent Pacific anticyclone and Aleutian low.
My explanation as to why the PNW is colder than western Europe is that the Gulf Stream simply transports a lot more heat to northwest Europe. IIRC there's actually a cold stream running down the Pacific Coast of North America. There's warmer water out there in the Pacific somewhere, but the coastal currents are relatively cold (i.e. 13C/55F water temps all summer, as far south as Central California). I think this is why the PNW also experiences drier summers than NW Europe.
Last edited by unobtainium; 04-29-2014 at 03:00 AM..
But it's not that cold. It's not as though there are icebergs floating down the PNW coast. I think Cleveland Collector gave a pretty good explanation...
Water off the west coast of Vancouver Island in July/August is around 13C (roughly the same as water temps off northern and central California). Off western Europe it's much warmer I think.
Last edited by unobtainium; 04-29-2014 at 03:01 AM..
Water off the west coast of Vancouver Island in July/August is around 13C (roughly the same as water temps off northern and central California). Off western Europe it's much warmer I think.
BINGO! The reason that western Europe is warmer than western North America is because the eastern Atlantic is warmer than the western Pacific.
Water off the west coast of Vancouver Island in July/August is around 13C (roughly the same as water temps off northern and central California). Off western Europe it's much warmer I think.
The Shetlands are at 60°N, you're at about 55°N and Vancouver Island is around 50°N. The American Pacific Northwest is further south. You're not comparing similar latitudes. France and maybe southern England is a better match.
The Pac is a much larger body of water and maintains a more consistent temp than the Atlantic...this along with mountains to the east is why from Vancouver down to San Diego, the temps are moderate year-round.
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