Section II Weather Blog

Whistler, British Columbia's climate is governed by its close proximity to the Pacific coastline as well as its location in the Rocky Mountains.  The oceanicity of the city beacons moderate year round temperatures. The climate is affected mostly by the maritime polar air mass and continental polar air mass, but the maritime tropical air mass is also a factor.  The movement of these masses along the mountains determines which areas of British Columbia receive moisture and which remain dry.  During winter months, rainfall is still common in lower elevations while the higher peaks see large amounts of snowfall.  Snowfall continues into May due to the cooling of air moving in from the Pacific Ocean.  Even during the summer, high pressure systems moving in from the coastline create cooler nighttime temperatures.  Extreme weather conditions are common between November, which is there wettest month, and February.  When temperature decreases, the maximum amount of water vapor the atmosphere can hold also decreases. The moderate temperatures of Whistler create the perfect climate for larger amounts of water vapor in the air during winter seasons.  This wet coastal air coupled with high pressure systems moving in from the Pacific that lift the saturation create generous and frequent snow storms.
Since the climate is affected by two maritime air masses that move in from the Pacific Ocean The latent heat flux should be higher than the sensible heat flux for most of the year due to the larger amount of water vapor in the air.  For this reason I would estimate the Bowen Ratio to be around 0.55 during the moist winter season and 0.65 to 0.7 during the drier summer months.

Table 1: Average Monthly Temperatures

Month	Daily Highs	Daily Lows
January	-0.6°C , 33.1°F	-4.9°C , 23.2°F
February	3.2°C , 37.8°F	-4.2°C , 24.4°F
March	7.2°C , 45°F	-2.3°C , 27.9°F
April	11.8°C , 53.2°F	0.3°C , 32.5°F
May	16.4°C , 61.5°F	3.8°C , 38.8°F
June	19.9°C , 67.8°F	7.2°C , 45°F
July	23.6°C , 74.5°F	9.2°C , 48.6°F
August	24°C , 75.2°F	8.9°C , 48°F
September	19.8°C , 67.6°F	5.6°C , 42.1°F
October	11.2°C , 52.2°F	2°C , 35.6°F
November	3.5°C , 38.3°F	-1.8°C , 28.8°F
December	-0.2°C , 31.6°F	-5.4°C , 22.3°F

Table 2: Average Monthly Precipitation (Rainfall and Snowfall Included)

Month	Precipitation	Rainfall	Snowfall
January	157.2 mm	68.9 mm	96.3 cm
February	119.5 mm	60.3 mm	66.8 cm
March	96.1 mm	54 mm	45.5 cm
April	75 mm	59.3 mm	16.6 cm
May	66.2 mm	65.1 mm	1.1 cm
June	58.1 mm	58.1 mm	0 cm
July	47.7 mm	47.7 mm	0 cm
August	47.5 mm	47.5 mm	0 cm
September	63.7 mm	63.7 mm	0 cm
October	147.4 mm	138.3 mm	8.8 cm
November	188.2 mm	126.5 mm	64.9 cm
December	162.3 mm	60.6 mm	111.2 cm

Image from: "Climate & Weather." Destination British Columbia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

References:

"Climate & Weather." Destination British Columbia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"The Mountains." Whistler Blackcomb. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Weather and Climate of British Columbia, Canada." Weather and Climate of British Columbia Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Whistler British Columbia Canada Climate Graphs, with Monthly Temperatures, Precipitation, & Snowfall in Whistler." Whistler British Columbia Canada Climate Graphs, with Monthly Temperatures, Precipitation, & Snowfall in Whistler. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Whistler, British Columbia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Whistler Monthly Climate Average, Canada." Whistler, Canada Weather Averages. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Whistler Weather History & Stats." Whistler Photo. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.