Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-11-19
Winter in the Northwest,

excellent and hcalthiul cllmatc
Our CORRESPOND, in the East oft
cn enquire about the winters in the
Northwest, IL il apprrhen.i>e that
make life disacreeahl, if not pcriluu>.
The general belief that Latitude deter
mines climate. is the most difficult f.
meet in discussing Northwestern
weather. People who understand per
fectly well that England has as mild Il
winter season as Virginia, although ly-
ing in the latitude of Labrador, have
difficulty in comprchending that
Western Washington and Oregon dc
not have the rigorous seasons of Main,
and Massachusetts, seeing that the
latitude is about the SAME They know
all about the Gull Stream and its in
t1uence on the climate of Western
Europe, but they appear to know
nothing about the Japan current
whose influence is as great ON the eli
mate of the western coast OF NORTH
America.
1t is impossible to speak in general
terms of the winters of our North
western States and Territories, for tn,
reason that they differ widely in differ
ent sections of this region As Il rul,
the winters are milder as one advance.
westward from Minnesota, but this
rule is modified by the local effect o.
mountain ranges and valleys, and b,
the situation of high, bleak, plateaux
exposed to the north wind. Foul
climatic divisions might be roughly
outlined. The first, consisting of tn,
plains country of Dakota and Western
Minnesota, has the lowest mean win.
ter temperature of any part of tn,
United States excepting Alaska. TIL,
cold spells are always charterized, how
ever, by peculiarly dry atmospher,
and bright sunshine, and there is less
suffering when the mercury goes down
to 30 or 40 below zero than is exper-
fenced in the East when there is :,
damp cold wind and a thermometrM
record OF barely zero. Winter life is
active and animated, and people dc
not grumblc as much about the cold
rs they do in States like Illinois, Iowa
and Pennsylvania.
"Thc second region is composed OF
the valleys, platcaux and mountains
OF Montana. The influence OF the
warm Pacific Coast winds, blowing
through the depressions of the Rocky
mountain ranges, is felt to some cx.
tent, but the winters are pretty sharp
There is usually January thaw, Il
rare event in Dakota and Minnesota
and spring is notably earlier than in
those regions. The elevation of the
agricultural valleys and the mining
| camps has much to do in determining
local climate, as well as the direction
and height of the near mountain spurs
or ranges. Generally speaking, the
winters are not as trying as those of
Northern New York or even of South
ern Wisconsin.
"The third region embraces Eastern
Washington and that portion of North
ern Idaho lying west of the Bitter Root
mountains. Here the winters are
changeable, snow rarely lying two
weeks at time upon the ground, and
spring coming in February. The
months of December, January and
February might be compared with the
same months in Southern Ohio, Ken
lucky and West Virginia. The Chi.
nook winds wiping up the snow with
surprising rapidity, are the peculiar
features of the winter weather.
Finally, there is the Puget Sound
country in Washington, the William
cite valley in Oregon and the coas,
country in both, which all lie west Of
the great climatic wall of the Cascade
mountains. These sections have 4
winter climate which has no parable
in the United States but closely resem
bles that of England and Ireland. A
great deal of rain falls in drizzlin,
showers, snow storms are rare and tn,
general range of the thermometer j.
from ten below to twenty above tn,
freezing point"
| The" IMPRESsIBLE CONFLIcT."-T
Blaine Journal, of the 18th instant