Eagle Point (Olympic Mountains)
Climate
Set in the north-central portion of the Olympic Mountains, Eagle Point is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in avalanche danger. During winter months weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.
Waterhole is a weather station on the eastern slope below Eagle Point.
Climate data for Waterhole, Washington, 2003–2022 normals: 5010ft (1527m) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) |
33.9 (1.1) |
36.4 (2.4) |
41.0 (5.0) |
48.6 (9.2) |
54.1 (12.3) |
61.8 (16.6) |
62.3 (16.8) |
56.0 (13.3) |
45.9 (7.7) |
36.3 (2.4) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
45.2 (7.4) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.2 (−1.0) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
33.5 (0.8) |
40.6 (4.8) |
45.9 (7.7) |
52.9 (11.6) |
53.5 (11.9) |
48.1 (8.9) |
39.9 (4.4) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
38.4 (3.6) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.5 (−3.6) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
32.6 (0.3) |
37.7 (3.2) |
43.9 (6.6) |
44.7 (7.1) |
40.1 (4.5) |
33.8 (1.0) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
22.7 (−5.2) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 12.03 (306) |
7.38 (187) |
8.60 (218) |
4.54 (115) |
3.02 (77) |
1.59 (40) |
0.60 (15) |
1.19 (30) |
2.18 (55) |
6.19 (157) |
12.02 (305) |
12.11 (308) |
71.45 (1,813) |
Source 1: XMACIS2 | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) |
Geology
The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.
See also
Gallery
References
- ^ "Eagle Point". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ "Eagle Point - 6,247' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ "Eagle Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
- ^ McNulty, Tim (2009). Olympic National Park: A Natural History. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Waterhole, Washington 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN 0-87842-160-2.
External links
- Weather forecast: Eagle Point
- "Olympic National Park". National Park Service.