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Is it normal for US 101 to be 40 degrees cooler

Started by roadman65, November 13, 2021, 10:32:01 AM

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roadman65

I noticed in Oregon in this past July was 40 degrees cooler on US 101 compared to the temps on I-5. So when it was 105 in Portland it was 65 in Astoria.

Is this all year round like this?  I heard in CA the one side of the Coastal Range is a different climate than the other year round. Was wondering the same for Oregon.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe


nexus73

That is normal.  101 is serviced by the world's biggest air conditioner.  We call it the Pacific Ocean!  Typical summertime highs on 101 in Oregon are in the mid 60's.

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

Max Rockatansky

It's pretty much like that during the summer along the entire west coast.  Even here in Central California it will often be something like 60-65F in San Francisco and over 100F an hour or so east in Stockton.

jp the roadgeek

Get a similar effect in the Spring in Boston when the wind is from the east.  It could be 85 in Worcester, 75 at 495, 65 by the time you get to 128, and 50 in the city.  Went to a Sox game in June. Left CT in shorts and needed a sweatshirt when I got there. 
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on November 13, 2021, 11:33:03 AM
Get a similar effect in the Spring in Boston when the wind is from the east.  It could be 85 in Worcester, 75 at 495, 65 by the time you get to 128, and 50 in the city.  Went to a Sox game in June. Left CT in shorts and needed a sweatshirt when I got there.

In Florida the weather was actually more stable over the Gulf than it was inland.  The Florida Keys usually were somewhere between 75-90F all year whereas you could get potential freezing temperatures on mainland Florida in the winter. 

Interestingly on the West Coast the climate tends to equalize inland during the winter.  In the Central Valley of California this seems to be driven by all the cold air sinking in from the surrounding mountains which tends equalize the temperature with the coastal regions.

Road Hog

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 13, 2021, 11:31:06 AM
It's pretty much like that during the summer along the entire west coast.  Even here in Central California it will often be something like 60-65F in San Francisco and over 100F an hour or so east in Stockton.
You don't even have to leave greater Los Angeles to get the same effect. It can be 70º at the Santa Monica Pier and 105º in the San Fernando Valley simultaneously.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Road Hog on November 13, 2021, 01:21:12 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 13, 2021, 11:31:06 AM
It's pretty much like that during the summer along the entire west coast.  Even here in Central California it will often be something like 60-65F in San Francisco and over 100F an hour or so east in Stockton.
You don't even have to leave greater Los Angeles to get the same effect. It can be 70º at the Santa Monica Pier and 105º in the San Fernando Valley simultaneously.

Or even downtown sometimes.  The amount of climate difference you get on the first couple miles of I-10 often is drastic.

Bruce

The difference is only made greater by the coastal mountains, which help trap in some of the ocean systems.

jakeroot

Yeah, this is a west coast thing. Ocean Shores, where a good friend of mine lives, is always way colder than here in the Seattle metro. Like, outdoor pools are dumb there, but could be justified here.

bing101

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 13, 2021, 11:31:06 AM
It's pretty much like that during the summer along the entire west coast.  Even here in Central California it will often be something like 60-65F in San Francisco and over 100F an hour or so east in Stockton.


Yes in Downtown San Francisco it would be clear and 70F but in South San Francisco it would be more foggier than downtown in the summertime at 60F.

CoolAngrybirdsrio4

Quote from: roadman65 on November 13, 2021, 10:32:01 AM
I noticed in Oregon in this past July was 40 degrees cooler on US 101 compared to the temps on I-5. So when it was 105 in Portland it was 65 in Astoria.

Is this all year round like this?  I heard in CA the one side of the Coastal Range is a different climate than the other year round. Was wondering the same for Oregon.

Most likely has to do with the cool breeze from the Pacific.
Renewed roadgeek

kkt

It's normal for 101, right on the coast, to be cooler than I-5 during the spring, summer, and fall.  But, 101 is often warmer than I-5 during the winter.  The Pacific is a moderating influence about the low 50s F throughout the year, keeping the coast cooler in the summer but warmer in the winter.  Sometimes when I-5 over the Siskiyous is closed due to severe snowstorms it's still possible to drive along the coast.  If the coast isn't also impassible due to landslides.

golden eagle

When I lived in San Diego, it could be 75 in downtown, but 20 degrees warmer in El Cajon, about ten minutes east of downtown.

TheHighwayMan3561

The temperature gradients aren't that extreme, but it can happen on a smaller scale in pockets of the Great Lakes, like in Duluth where it can be 10-15 degrees warmer at the airport/mall up on the hill than in downtown/Canal Park depending on various factors.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Bruce

A good illustration of the temperature difference, from the peak of Eastern Washington's heat wave on June 29:



Source:
https://twitter.com/NWSSeattle/status/1491839885103095811

SectorZ

Quote from: Bruce on February 14, 2022, 03:17:51 PM
https://twitter.com/NWSSeattle/status/1491839885103095811

120 degrees at that latitude is just bonkers. That's the same latitude on the East Coast as Caribou, ME, which has a record high of 96 degrees, and Caribou has a strong continental climate despite how close it is to the Atlantic. Almost the same elevations to boot.

hotdogPi

Quote from: SectorZ on February 14, 2022, 03:31:03 PM
Quote from: Bruce on February 14, 2022, 03:17:51 PM
(removing really tall quote)

120 degrees at that latitude is just bonkers. That's the same latitude on the East Coast as Caribou, ME, which has a record high of 96 degrees, and Caribou has a strong continental climate despite how close it is to the Atlantic. Almost the same elevations to boot.

It appears based on a quick look on Wikipedia that that area is much drier than the East Coast.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

US 89

Quote from: 1 on February 14, 2022, 03:34:46 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on February 14, 2022, 03:31:03 PM
Quote from: Bruce on February 14, 2022, 03:17:51 PM
(removing really tall quote)

120 degrees at that latitude is just bonkers. That's the same latitude on the East Coast as Caribou, ME, which has a record high of 96 degrees, and Caribou has a strong continental climate despite how close it is to the Atlantic. Almost the same elevations to boot.

It appears based on a quick look on Wikipedia that that area is much drier than the East Coast.

Well sure, but even in low-altitude dry areas, 120 is insanity that far north. It is well known that the inland Pacific Northwest is a dry, low-elevation place that gets damn hot in summer...but not that hot. All-time record highs in that area are largely in the low 110s range and were generally a few degrees lower before that heat wave in particular.

That heatwave really has no parallels anywhere in the historical record. Places were shattering their all-time record highs by 5 or 10 degrees in some locations. In Portland, for example, the previous all-time record was 107 set on multiple occasions, but they recorded their three hottest max temperatures ever on June 26-28 of last year (highs of 108, 112, and 116).

Bruce

Quote from: 1 on February 14, 2022, 03:34:46 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on February 14, 2022, 03:31:03 PM
Quote from: Bruce on February 14, 2022, 03:17:51 PM
(removing really tall quote)

120 degrees at that latitude is just bonkers. That's the same latitude on the East Coast as Caribou, ME, which has a record high of 96 degrees, and Caribou has a strong continental climate despite how close it is to the Atlantic. Almost the same elevations to boot.

It appears based on a quick look on Wikipedia that that area is much drier than the East Coast.

It's not uncommon for places in the Tri-Cities to reach up to the triple digits every summer, but only on the low end.

Alps

my house is always 4 degrees cooler than literally a mile away south or east

Scott5114

Quote from: Alps on February 22, 2022, 01:17:52 AM
my house is always 4 degrees cooler than literally a mile away south or east

That's nothing. During the summer, my house is always about 30 degrees cooler than literally 50 feet south or east.

Then again, that's mostly because I run the air conditioner.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef



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