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Yes, compare a 46N climate in northern Wisconsin compared to southern Germany at the same latitude. The US climate will be much more extreme in terms of average winter temperatures.
The 46N parallel passes through northern Italy… Germany is further north.
Here’s a Europe vs. North America question I’ve always wondered about: why does the mediterranean rainfall pattern extend further north in the Pacific Northwest of North America than it does in Europe? We’re talking 5 degrees of latitude further north probably. Possibilities I’ve thought of: the rainshadow effect from coastal mountains (but that can’t be the whole reason); the colder water offshore of N.A. (vs the Gulf Stream in Europe). And that’s all I can think of?
The 46N parallel passes through northern Italy… Germany is further north.
Here are photos of a 46N latitude location in the US, much more northern looking than the European counterparts at the same latitude line- other than the higher elevations of the Alps:
The dominant reason being that Eurasia is the biggest continent, and North America second largest and is only true between roughly 30N and 60N as prevailing wind is eastward above that latitude and below 60N. In general west coasts have Mediterranean (closer to equator) or oceanic climates and east coast climates have humid subtropical (closer to equator) or continental climates. The effect is more pronounced the wider the continent is from west to east (more land to cross). Common misconceptions are that the gulf stream or being close to water are the main reason for the mild climate of Western Europe. This doesn't explain for example the 40F temperature difference between Porto, Portugal and Vladivostok in winter at very similar latitudes.
Western Europe has an extreme moderating effect due to being on the western edge of the huge landmass of Eurasia, the gulf stream has little effect in comparison. The west coast of the US also has a moderating effect which is almost as strong for the same reason with wind blowing over the ocean crossing little to no land before reaching them. The same effect can even be seen in thin southern South America and southern Africa despite there being much less land between west and east. Already by central Europe the wind crossed much more land which varies in temperature much more than ocean water - the open ocean almost never gets below freezing or hot in mid latitudes and by northwestern Asia the effect has disappeared entirely and begins to be the opposite.
This actually makes the most sense, along with the biggest mountain ranges in Eurasia being east/west while almost all of them in the Americas are north/south
Here are photos of a 46N latitude location in the US, much more northern looking than the European counterparts at the same latitude line- other than the higher elevations of the Alps:
This is the kind of landscape we see here over 800 m asl on the Apennines-
I think Northern Italy is also one of the warmest regions in the world at these latitudes.... Our yearly average mean here is about 14c so yeah, looking at Wisconsin it really feels like a different location, like Sweden almost.
This is the kind of landscape we see here over 800 m asl on the Apennines-
I think Northern Italy is also one of the warmest regions in the world at these latitudes.... Our yearly average mean here is about 14c so yeah, looking at Wisconsin it really feels like a different location, like Sweden almost.
This is a semi-typical January forecast with a colder weather pattern in place for the 46N location where those photos were taken in Wisconsin:
the current temperature (-17C / 2F) is pretty much our record cold here.
That said we're sheltered by the Alps, you can find lower record lows at the same latitude in France which has milder winter averages. They're all from the 1960s though.
Wisconsin has swedish winters with French summers pretty much.
the current temperature (-17C / 2F) is pretty much our record cold here.
That said we're sheltered by the Alps, you can find lower record lows at the same latitude in France which has milder winter averages. They're all from the 1960s though.
Wisconsin has swedish winters with French summers pretty much.
The low temperature there this morning was close to -34C, happens at least a few times a winter for this specific location:
Didn't realize northern Wisconsin was so cold. Even Thunder Bay, ON isn't guaranteed to get that cold each year (although usually does).
Yes, it is part of the Canadian Shield in terms of geology, with a general average elevation between 1,600-1,900 ft.
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