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Post by nei on Dec 1, 2019 17:05:31 GMT -5
Inspired by a conversation where (I think) Babu said it was normal in the winter for mountaintops to be warmer or at least no colder than the valleys, I'm curious of what seasonal patterns are common. I'm resurrecting an old CD thread here about temperature changes with altitude (lapse rate). 🖕🏿Mörön🖕🏿 was especially interested in the topic. Hope others tack in their favorite mountain areas. First, near home; the ========================================== Northeast USAPicking a Catskills NY site first. Looking at: SLIDE MOUNTAIN, NEW YORK - Climate Summary (2650 feet) and POUGHKEEPSIE FAA ARPT, NEW YORK - Climate Summary (160 feet) Here are the changes. General pattern is days have a bigger change than nights and summers a somewhat larger change than winters. Summer days in particularly have a large drop (heat haters in downstate NY take note!) Jan Day: -2.9°F / 1000 ft (-5.3°C / km) Jan Night: -2.3°F / 1000 ft (-4.2°C / km) Jul Day: -3.6°F / 1000 ft (-6.5°C / km) Jul Night: -2.7°F / 1000 ft (-4.9°C / km) Precipitation: +6.9 in / 1000 ft (573 mm / km) Anyone wants to add some other places? and for the White Mountains of New Hampshire MOUNT WASHINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Climate Summary (6270 feet) and PINKHAM NOTCH, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Climate Summary (2000 feet) Jan Day: -2.7°F / 1000 ft (-4.9°C / km) Jan Night: -2.0°F / 1000 ft (-3.6°C / km) Jul Day: -3.4°F / 1000 ft (-6.3°C / km) Jul Night: -2.2°F / 1000 ft (-4.0°C / km) Precipitation: +8.2 in / 1000 ft (680 mm / km) at Mt. Washington altitude, we are reaching above cloud height and the patterns could change. But on average it's similar to the NY stations. So, the Northeast looks like it has the same pattern. I made an animated chart of Mt. Washington lapse rates by month and hour; comparison is with Whitefield, which is lower elevation and more of a frost hollow. x-axis is temperature difference between the two stations in °F, elevation difference is 1600 m. So a 9° change = 3.13°C / km. southern Appalachians:GATLINBURG 2 SW, TENNESSEE - Climate Summary (elevation 1450 feet) and Mount Le Conte (Tennessee) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (elevation 6593 feet) Jan Day: -4.5°F / 1000 ft (-8.3°C / km) Jan Night: -2.5°F / 1000 ft (-4.5°C / km) Jul Day: -4.7°F / 1000 ft (-8.6°C / km) Jul Night: -3.9°F / 1000 ft (-7.1°C / km) Precipitation: +7.1 in / 1000 ft (593 mm / km)
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Post by nei on Dec 1, 2019 17:11:23 GMT -5
EuropeGranada, Spain at 738m and a Pradollano, a ski resort above Granada at 2507m. Elevation difference is larger than any previous examples. Jan Day: -3.7°F / 1000 ft (-6.7°C / km) Jan Night: -4.0°F / 1000 ft (-7.3°C / km) Jul Day: -3.7°F / 1000 ft (-6.7°C / km) Jul Night: -1.6°F / 1000 ft (-2.6°C / km) Precipitation: +2.2 in / 1000 ft (187 mm / km) and Switzerland. Chur (1946 feet) and nearby Davos (5118 feet) Jan Day: -2.8°F / 1000 ft (-5.2°C / km) Jan Night: -3.2°F / 1000 ft (-5.9°C / km) Jul Day: -3.8°F / 1000 ft (-6.8°C / km) Jul Night: -3.4°F / 1000 ft (-6.2°C / km) Precipitation: +2.3 in / 1000 ft (193 mm / km) UK sites: Two British examples. Fort William (100? feet) and Ben Nevis (4400 feet): Jan Day: -3.5°F / 1000 ft (-6.4°C / km) Jan Night: -3.2°F / 1000 ft (-5.9°C / km) Jul Day: -4.4°F / 1000 ft (-8.1°C / km) Jul Night: -3.2°F / 1000 ft (-5.9°C / km) Precipitation: +20.1 in / 1000 ft (1677 mm / km) The July daily lapse rate is high, similar to Mt. Washington. The precipitation increase is enormous, and the summit sounds exceptionally foggy and cloudy. For a short altitude range, Morecambe (3 m), and Malham Tarn (391 m) Jan Day: -3.3°F / 1000 ft (-5.9°C / km) Jan Night: -3.8°F / 1000 ft (-7.0°C / km) Jul Day: -3.3°F / 1000 ft (-5.9°C / km) Jul Night: -4.7°F / 1000 ft (-8.5°C / km) Precipitation: +15.5 in / 1000 ft (1292 mm / km) Some high night lapse rates, maybe because the sea level location gets a mild night influence from the ocean. Same high precipitation lapse rate, also similar to the Washington (Paradise) example. A Scandinavian site via kronan: appears to have only used 2010 data, dunno how much it varies. Tarfala appears to be an extreme frost hollow; Nikkaluokta a small valley on a hillside. Doesn't make sense to call min & max day & night at this extremely high latitude. Climate in NIKKALUOKTA in January 2010 - Historical weather recordsClimate in TARFALA in January 2010 - Historical weather recordsjan max: +6.0°C/ km jan min: +12.7°C/ km Climate in NIKKALUOKTA in July 2010 - Historical weather recordsClimate in TARFALA in July 2010 - Historical weather recordsjuly max: -8.6°C/ km july min: -3.5°C/ km
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Post by nei on Dec 1, 2019 17:12:45 GMT -5
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Post by knot on Dec 1, 2019 20:21:27 GMT -5
Australia (South West Slopes [windward NSW])For to calculate the lapse rate(s), I shall use the maxima of Khancoban AWS (339 m AMSL), and likewise, that of its much higher neighbour perched astride the western escarpment, Cabramurra SMHEA AWS (1,482 m AMSL)—both at 36° S, and within the upwind of the Great Dividing Range. I will not be using minima for this calculation. The aforementioned stations were both established on the precise same date of 1996, yielding a period-of-record comprising 1996-2019 i.e. 23 years; hitherto, on much account of their relatively narrow deviations encircling their record temperatures. Khancoban AWS (>1996); 339 m AMSL; 36° 13′ 49.44″ SCabramurra SMHEA AWS (>1996); 1,482 m AMSL; 35° 56′ 13.56″ SAltitudinal disparity alone: 1,143 m (1.14 km). Annual Lapse RateOf foremost prominence, the annual altitudinal temperature disparity is 8.8° C / 1.14 km = 8° C / 1 km. The above figure was calculated via 1° C / 127 m; 127 m × 8 = 1,016 m = 1 km (127 m × 9 = 1.14 km). Mid-Summer Lapse RateIn January (mid-summer), the disparity measures at 10.2° C / 1.14 km = 9° C / 1 km = 1° C / 114 m. The above figure was calculated via 114 m × 9 = 1,026 m = 1 km (114 m × 10 = 1,140 m = 1.14 km). Mid-Winter Lapse RateIn July (mid-winter), that figure plummets to 7.8° C / 1.14 km = 7° C / 1 km = 1° C / 143 m. The above figure was calculated via 143 m × 7 = 1,001 m = 1 km (143 m × 8 = 1,144 m = 1.14 km). ∴I. Annual Lapse Rate = 1° C / 127 m = 8° C / 1 km. II. Mid-Summer Lapse Rate = 1° C / 114 m = 9° C / 1 km. III. Mid-Winter Lapse Rate = 1° C / 143 m = 7° C / 1 km. IV. As plainly observed, the altitudinal lapse rate is significantly greater in summer—owing chiefly to lesser relative humidity % in the warmer months (on average), thereby reducing atmospheric condensation.
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Post by Donar on Dec 5, 2019 10:02:38 GMT -5
Frankfurt Airport (100m) and Kleiner Feldberg (826m), 1970-1999:
Jan Day: -5.1 °C / km Jan Night: -3.4 °C / km
Jul Day: -8.4 °C / km Jul Night: -3.7 °C / km
I think persistent fog in the lowlands is a cause for a lower lapse rate on Jan days. And at night, the mountain station is oftentimes above the boundary layer and inversion. Right now is a good example for fog; temperature at Feldberg 1.2 °C and sun, Frankfurt Airport -1.5°C and deep fog.
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Post by Babu on Dec 5, 2019 12:00:28 GMT -5
Nikkaluokta at 450m ASL in a wide valley, and Tarfala in a narrow valley, at 1150m ASL 18km away.
Nikkaluokta's high, low and 24h mean 2002-2019 (except for January 2011 because that month is missing for Tarfala) January & July:
-9.7/-22.1/-15.7 & 18.4/7.8/13.2
Tarfala (same period):
-6.8/-14.3/-10.3 & 12.3/5.6/8.7
Difference in altitude: 667m
Lapse rate: January high: +4.3'C/km January low: +11.7'C/km January 24h mean: +8.1'C/km July high: -9.0'C/km July low: -3.3'C/km July 24h mean: -6.7'C/km
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Post by nei on Dec 7, 2020 12:09:38 GMT -5
cool visualization of North Carolina mountain temperatures Yahya Sinwar
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Post by boombo on Dec 7, 2020 12:28:21 GMT -5
Here's Morecambe at sea level and Malham Tarn at 391 metres 30 or so miles inland, the most notable difference is in the rainfall and sunshine more so than the temperatures. You don't have to go up far here for the feel of the weather and the look of the ecosystem to be very different, from standard Cfb to borderline subarctic nastiness.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2020 13:06:46 GMT -5
London
Heathrow (25m) and Hampstead (137m)
Jan day: -8.9c/km Jan night: -2.7c/km Jul day: -9.8c/km Jul night: -6.3c/km
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Post by knot on Dec 7, 2020 20:26:14 GMT -5
Central Victoria Beechworth (580 m) and Mount Buffalo (1,350 m) in Central Victoria; both lay on the windward (western) slopes of the Great Dividing Range, with very similar reference period(s). 36.37° S, 146.71° E36.72° S, 146.82° EMaxima• Annual: 770 ÷ 6.7° C = 1° C / 115 m = 8.7° C / 1 km • Mid-Summer: 770 m ÷ 7.6° C = 1° C / 101 m = 9.9° C / 1 km • Mid-Winter: 770 m ÷ 5.7° C = 1° C / 136 m = 7.4° C / 1 km Astounding lapse rate! The disparity in precipitation is even more striking—especially in winter. Due chiefly to Mount Buffalo laying well above the LCL (Liquid Condensation Level), whereas Beechworth lay below it.
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