Is Portland OR more representative of London or Paris?

[WeatherArchive]

What do you the viewers think?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#ClimateHere is Portland's chart we all know.

 

Now here is Paris it seems pretty similar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris#Climate Winters are pretty much the same in temps with an average low of 37F but rainfall patterns are more evenly distributed thru the year with wetter more thundery summers then Portland but are summers really that much different? 

 

The heatwave of 2003 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wavemight have artificially boosted high temps for summer for them.

 

What do you think of the similarities/differences? Could any of the same plants/trees  grow in each other's place?

 

Oh here is London UK.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_London

[TT-SEA]

What do you the viewers think?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon#ClimateHere is Portland's chart we all know.

 

Now here is Paris it seems pretty similar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris#Climate Winters are pretty much the same in temps with an average low of 37F but rainfall patterns are more evenly distributed thru the year with wetter more thundery summers then Portland but are summers really that much different? 

 

The heatwave of 2003 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wavemight have artificially boosted high temps for summer for them.

 

What do you think of the similarities/differences? Could any of the same plants/trees  grow in each other's place?

 

Oh here is London UK.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_London

 

 

Portland is definitely more like Paris... but the climate in the PNW is different with well-defined wet and dry seasons.

 

Side note... we were actually in Paris during the 2003 heat wave.   Quite the experience.   They do not have A/C in most places.   The best spot to be was in the paintings section of the Louvre where it was climate-controlled.   We would go back to the hotel during the day to take cold showers and then head out again.   They also don't put ice in drinks there.   When we landed back in the United States... we had a new appreciation for A/C and ice cubes.  

[ShawniganLake]

Paris

 

London is generally more cloudy and damp during the summer. Average highs in the lower 70's with rain every couple of days. No thanks.

[NorthBurnabyWeather]

I think Portland's summers are a lot more arid than London/Paris because the monsoonal influence in the PNW is nothing compared to the hot/humid spells that can be triggered by Spanish Plumes coming off the Iberian Peninsula, which also trigger violent thunderstorms.

[IbrChris]

Neither in my opinion. Maybe Lyon, France as far as temps. As far as precip Porto, Portugal sorta mimics it although the dry season in Porto is shorter and the comparative rainy season stretches over more months (Portland has 6 months on average with 3" or more, Porto 8 months >3"). There's probably better comparisons though...maybe Coimbra, Portugal. Further north in Europe there's no real marked dry season in summer.

[wx_statman]

I don't think the climate of Portland has a parallel anywhere in Europe. The Gulf Stream really changes things over there, and they're much more detached from Arctic airmasses compared to here.

[Front Ranger]

Bordeaux, France is probably the closest as far as large European cities go. A little warmer in the winter, and a little wetter in the summer, but pretty similar overall. They don't get Arctic air quite as often as Portland or Seattle, but they do get down to the low/mid 20s most winters, and are capable of cold periods similar to the PNW lowlands (see Feb 2012, Dec 2001, Dec 1996).

[Scott]

Vancouver Washington has a similar climate to Portland. 

[Scott]

In all seriousness, besides the Pacific Northwest, the only place I can think of that has a similar climate to Portland and is yet far away is the Chilean side of the Lake District, especially the southern region of the Lake District.   The climate there is actually very similar to Portland, but the seasons are reversed.   Even the scenery at the two locations is quite similar though the kinds of trees are different and of course Portland is more populated.

 

Although the climate averages are fairly similar, Portland does have greater extremes and record highs and lows.   

Still, they are remarkably similar considering they are in different hemispheres.  

 

Portland Oregon:

 

 

Osorno Chile:

 

http://snowbrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/11466-excursion-al-volcan-osorno.jpg

 

Osorno itself is a little wetter than Portland, including in the summer, but inland and in the rain shadows the weather is a bit drier.  Not far south of Osorno, I would bet that you could find as reasonably as close as you can get to climate match considering different hemispheres, but with the seasons reversed.

On the Argentina side of the Lake District, temperatures are even closer to Portland, including similar extremes in winter, but it's a bit drier there since it sits in the rain shadow.

[IbrChris]

So the conclusion of the thread is....Portland's (and the PNW's) climate is fairly unique when considering the rest of the world.

[Jesse]

So the conclusion of the thread is....Portland's (and the PNW's) climate is fairly unique when considering the rest of the world.

For sure. Although I think Scott made a pretty strong case with Chili/Argentina.

[IbrChris]

For sure. Although I think Scott made a pretty strong case with Chili/Argentina.

Sure...one of only a few other places in the world with a temperate marine climate bordering on a temperate Mediterranean climate (so as to ensure drier summers). Most of the temperate climates have either equitable precip throughout the year or a warm season maximum.

 

Although I'm guessing the risk of arctic air is much lower to negligible in Chile/Argentina...mostly maritime polar airmasses.

[Front Ranger]

I think Bordeaux is closer to Portland than Orsono.

 

- Orsono's coldest month has an average high of 50.5, while it's 48 for Bordeaux

- Bordeaux's two warmest months have an average high of 79, while for Orsono it's just 72

- during the winter, Orsono's wettest month averages nearly 8.5", while for Bordeaux it's 4.2"

[Scott]

Although I'm guessing the risk of arctic air is much lower to negligible in Chile/Argentina...mostly maritime polar airmasses.

 

 

Very true.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Anyway, for anyone interested, I made a quick spreadsheet of the climate from both locations, but I matched the seasonal months with each other for each location.

 

The primary differences between the two are that Osorno is a bit wetter than Portland and Portland is quite a bit warmer in summer (I thought they would match up better than this, but the summer had a greater difference than I thought).   They do match up somewhat well though (at least pattern wise), considering they are 6700 miles apart and in opposite hemispheres.

 

http://images.summitpost.org/original/997657.JPG

 

If Portland was nearer to the coast or if Osorno was a little bit more inland, they would probably match up better.  Still, they do bear similarities to each other, climate wise.

 

If one were to look at several locations in the Lake District as well as several locations in the Pacific Northwest, I would bet that you could find some pretty good matches.  

 

You could find some pretty good matches scenery wise too.  

 

Just for fun.....

 

Mount Thielson Oregon:

 

http://images.summitpost.org/original/49334.jpg

 

Cerro Puntiagudo Chile:

 

http://cdn1.buuteeq.com/upload/18138/lake-district-shutterstock-4.jpg.694x390_default.jpg

 

Mount Hood Oregon:

 

 

Volcan Lanin Chile:

 

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/283577.JPG

 

Mount Bachelor Oregon:

 

 

Lonquimay Chile:

 

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/814328.jpg

 

Diablo Lake Washington:

 

 

 Varas Chile:

 

 

 

 

I think Bordeaux is closer to Portland than Orsono.

 

 

It looks like you are right.  I was thinking Chile since I have been there, but not France.  

[WeatherArchive]

Chile has way too much water both in humidity and physical.  Bordeaux seems right except for a drier summer though some years can be like Bordeaux in the summertime but it's pretty much what Portland would be like if precipitation was evenly distributed thrut he year rather then the majority coming in winter in bulk.

[Front Ranger]

Chile has way too much water both in humidity and physical. Bordeaux seems right except for a drier summer though some years can be like Bordeaux in the summertime but it's pretty much what Portland would be like if precipitation was evenly distributed thrut he year rather then the majority coming in winter in bulk.

Bordeaux also gets much less precip in the summer than the winter. Less than half as much. It's​ not the stark Mediterranean difference that Portland sees, but it's a similar seasonal trend.

[IbrChris]

Very true.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Anyway, for anyone interested, I made a quick spreadsheet of the climate from both locations, but I matched the seasonal months with each other for each location.

 

The primary differences between the two are that Osorno is a bit wetter than Portland and Portland is quite a bit warmer in summer (I thought they would match up better than this, but the summer had a greater difference than I thought).   They do match up somewhat well though (at least pattern wise), considering they are 6700 miles apart and in opposite hemispheres.

 

 

If Portland was nearer to the coast or if Osorno was a little bit more inland, they would probably match up better.  Still, they do bear similarities to each other, climate wise.

 

If one were to look at several locations in the Lake District as well as several locations in the Pacific Northwest, I would bet that you could find some pretty good matches.  

Osorno looks sorta like coastal OR with slightly less precip. Temps are very similar. Could also pass for somewhere like Shelton, WA.