Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1891-01-22
CLIMATE OF WASHINGTON.
How the Winds and Mountains Con-
spsre to Make the Wonderfully
Equable and Yet Diversified
Climate of this State.
The Rainfall and How 1t Is Regulated
and Distributed.

and Distributed.
;sidridgs Morse, Esq, in Tacoma New Years
IeEger)
TESie ocean coast region has a climate
like Ireland, Puget sound climate is like
England, while eastern Washington re-
.sembles Spain in climate, only the
rFeather is cooler. Except high in the
srnountains there is no very cold weather
anywhere in Washington. On the coast
there is seldom any considerable snow OF
frost, but the summers are too cool to
raise many crops grown OH the Sound.
In eastern Washington winters are about
dixie those Of Maryland. There is consi6-
-erable snow. In the spring and fall it is
windy. The summers are hot and dry.
There are some local differences in the
climate depending on the contour and
elevation of the different valleys, which
affect the heat and rainfall Frequently,
ala the summer, it does not rain for four
months.
On the ocean coast it rains all the year
s7ound. The rainfall varies from 60 to 12O
inches yearly, according to winds and
nearness, ETC., of mountains. The average
rainfall for eastern Washington is about
20 inches per annum, for the ocean coast
ut is so inches, for the region between the
Cascade and coast ranges it varies in diff
Sserent localities between Is inches a year
md 65 inches. The average is about 40
1nches. On Puget sound there is some
SNOW and ice every winter, and the sum-
Aners are cool, but the winters are warmer
THAN eastern Washington, but colder than
She ocean coast. So the summers are
EEauch cooler than eastern Washington,
but also much warmer than the ocean
rsoast.
The winds and mountains make the
sclimste'ef Washington. The northwest
wind isa cool, dry wind, and blows from
sfhe ocean in summer. 1t brings no moist
sure. The southwest wind, from the
ocean, brings all the rain that falls on
Washington. 1t blows mostly in winter
and spslpg. This is the warm Chinook
wind, tsat seeks the innermost recesses
sof the mountains and melts snow and ice
Easter than the direct rays of a summer
gun.
We're there no gaps in the Coast range
xnd every portion as high as the Cas-
scadeg, ahen Puget sound would have a
sciimabe like eastern Washington, despite
Sthe sopening formed by the Straits Of
3suca. The Chehalis river gap let's the
snnoisture into the Sound region. The
Columbia river gap moistens the lower
valley of the Columbia, and also causes
10 TOW over eastern part of Washington
ssnuch OF the moisture of that region.
some also floats over the Snoqualmie
lss.ss, where the range is quite low.
The Straits Of Fuca open to the north
west. Only the dry summer winds blow
cap these straits. Port Townsend. at Their
head, has only fifteen inches annual rain.
sSall, less than the average of. eastern
Washington. The rain clouds blow from
che southwest across the straits and de.
post their moisture in the Fraser rive,
valley and over Vancouver island. Al
'the entrance to the straits it oftentimes
-siains i2O inches per annum. The lowe,
matthias heavy rainfall. But in going
Sup'the straits, as soon as you reach q
place where the mountains are southwest
lot yeu, the rainfall rapidly lessons to, say
80 inches at Port Angeles, 20 at Dunge.
ness and Is at Port Townsend, which is
dunier the lee of the highest portion Of
the olympic mountains. The average
rainfall on the San Juan islands is about
-5eiinches. The mouth Of the Frasier is
t7etween 40 and so inches. This rapidly
decreases to from rs to % inches al
Whatcom, and rises to 80 over the tide
lands of Skagit county. 1t reaches nearly
40 inohes on the western part of Snohom-
i1Sh'ccunty. In the Snohomish valley it
,As over go inches. From Seattle TO
olympia it is about 40 inches. In some
places less. In Lewis county it is 30
=snches; then rises to 40 inches and up-
wards as one goes southwark toward the
Noiumbia river. This north end OF Wild
10y island has only one-half the rainfall az
ATS south end. The storm clouds, drawn
10y strong current toward eastern Wash
-ngton, pass through the Chehalis pass,
across che Sound and toward the Sno-
'qualmie pass Of the Cascade mountains.
sshen they strike these mountains thew
are condensed. What does not 90 over.
eor falls there in ra IL, is turned from a
southwest to south, then southeast
wind, and blows down the Snoqualmie
and Snohomish river, and spreads its
moisture over those valleys, hence their
heavy rainfall. The ocean southwest
wind, in the Snohomish valley, thus be-
comes a southeast wind. 1t it this heavy
rainfall that makes SO heavy a growth Of
dense, firm timber in the Snohomish val
ley, and causes grass and many vegeta-
bles to grow stronger than elsewhere. 1t