After 1912, the interurban branch line to Sedro-Woolley connected here with the main line between Bellingham and Mount Vernon. Today, a switchyard occupies the south central portion of Burlington and the intersection with the Anacortes-Concrete track occurs near the center of the town. This glacial scraping, along with the uplifting of the cascades and the effects of the Skagit River system, produced the flat, alluvial, delta landform characteristic deposits which are now covered by river deposited sand, gravel, silt and clay. Burlington Hill and Bayview Ridge are protrusions of old bedrock. The climate is greatly tempered by winds from the Pacific Ocean.
Summers are fairly warm, but hot days are rare.
Winters are cool, but snow and freezing temperatures are not common except at higher elevations in the county. In summer rainfall is extremely light, so crops need some irrigation to grow actively during this period. Several weeks often pass without precipitation. Rains are frequent during the rest of the year, especially in late fall and in winter. The average relative humidity in mid-afternoon is about 60 percent.