Two studies in the late 1980s reveal the complexity of local topography and how it creates microclimates. The first, led by Mark Albright, a UW research meteorologist, set out 95 gauges around Seattle to collect precipitation from September 1, 1986, through May 31, 1987. Albright discovered that Seattle has a banana belt that runs along the Ship Canal from the UW across the lake to Hunt’s Point. Only 33 to 36 inches of precipitation fell in the nine month period compared to the veritable rain forest that stretches from Vashon Island through White Center to about Highway 99, where 45 to 50 inches fell in the same period. Montlake and the east end of the 520 bridge also had the highest temperatures in surveys conducted around the county on November 28, 1987 and February 24, 1988. Other wet spots include Lake City, Queen Anne, and Capitol Hill, which received up to 11 inches more than the UW campus.”

– David B. Williams, The Street-Smart Naturalist

Josh reports that he can feel the microclimate changing as he bikes to work. I may have seen it in action today as I rode the bus from Fremont, through Wallingford, into the UW and up to the north end of Ravenna. Wallingford and Ravenna appeared to be getting a whole lot more snow than the UW was. Really neat; I’d like to track down the specifics of Albright’s work. Unfortunately, David Williams notes, “Albright’s information was never published in a scientific journal but was reported in a September 8, 1988 Seattle Times article by Hill Williams (no relation)”.