Latitude & Longitude
Montreal 45 degrees 30' N, 73 degrees 33' W
Portland 45 degrees 31' N, 122 degree 40' W
Both cities are found on the same line of latitude meaning that they have the same solar angle and solar output. This means that both cities would have the same climate conditions if the only factor was the sun and the Earth's tilt. However in reality the climate and weather patterns are very different between the two cities.
First difference is maritime vs. continental climates.
Portland is close the Pacific Ocean, the means the ocean acts as a buffer for temperature. Water is slow to heat up and cool off (latent energy) where Montreal though more humid because of the rivers surrounding is effected by continental heating cooling with more temperature extremes ( rock and soil quickly heat and release heat).
Secondly, the types of fronts and geographic features help control and create the climate and the weather for both cities. Portland sits west of the Cascade mountain range. These mountains create and up slope condition where cool polar marine fronts over polar continental air masses raise even higher over due to mountains releasing latent energy in the form of rain ( commonly though snow and severe weather due to to warm occluded fronts can occur). Montreal is influenced by mP,cP,cA and mT thus cyclogenesis occurs forming mid latitude cycles and cold occluded fronts.
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| Map of air masses and where they effect. map from The Runner Scientist : http://therunningscientist.blogspot.com/2009/12/air-masses.html |
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| Cold occluded fronts occur more common where warm occluded fronts are rare and only occur off the coast. Image from http://www.verticalfrontiers.com/knowledge/cloud-spotting-weather-fronts/ |
Temperature and Precipitation ( all data came from The Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMO0602)
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| High annual temperature comparison from Montreal and Portland note the change in temperature in Portland is more moderate than Montreal. |
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| Average annual low temperatures of Portland and Montreal. Again notice that Montreal temperature range is more extreme meaning it heats and cools faster than Portland |
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| Average annual precipitation of Portland and Montreal. This data indicates both cities are very different when it comes to precipitation. Montreal has the expected seasonality meaning a clear spring, summer, fall, and winter where precipitation occurs in a staggered up in down pattern with spring bringing the highest amounts of precipitation. Portland as two seasons a wet and a dry period. This is due to the as the seasons change the angle and amount of solar energy changes for both cities. |
