Final Weather Blog

Whistler British Columbia experiences numerous climate controls on both a macro and micro scale.  The Koppen-Geiger climate classification system categorizes it as a Dsb climate.  D climates are commonly found between latitudes of 40–60°N and S.  Whistler resides at 50.12°N.  This classification also means Whistler experiences temperatures above 10°C during the warmest months and below −3°C during the coldest months, the warmest month averaging below 22°C along with dry summers and wet winters.  

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

Whistler is located continentally in the Canadian Rocky mountains, but is close enough to the pacific coastline to see strong affects from maritime air masses.  This orographic feature dictates much of the areas climate.  The mountains lift incoming air masses arriving from the Pacific Ocean,  causing most of Whistler's precipitation which during wet winter months typically falls as snow.  Whistler's altitude of 7,156 feet also means cooler year round temperatures and higher exposure to sunlight.  The mountains and large amounts of snow have also created a micro scale control.  Whistler has become an extremely popular ski town, bringing in tourists from around the globe to ski amazing features and heavy powder.  The resort and logging industries in the area have cut down vegetation in order to sustain the attraction.  Along with tourism and a population increase comes an increase in pollution and human traffic.  This may be a factor in the average temperatures of the area becoming more extreme over the past 50 years.  Winter temperatures have dropped slightly, and average summer temperatures have risen by almost 10°F. 

Images from: "Meso & Microclimates of British Columbia." Weather and Climate of British Columbia Canada. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 09 May 2014.

Trends in yearly average temperature have risen steadily in the past 50 years.  They seem to follow the same pattern as Whistler's population increases with spikes in warm temperatures since the early 1980's.  According to Whistler 2020 the average yearly temperature rose from 5.2°C to 8°C since the late 1970's which is when skiing and the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort started to gain mass popularity.  This hints at the creation of a possible seasonal urban heat island, with the rise of human population during winter months and fall during summer months.

Whistler BC average temperature history

Image from: "Climate Trends and Variations Bulletin - Annual 2013." Government of Canada, Environment Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. 

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1981	1,369	—
1986	2,002	+46.2%
1991	4,459	+122.7%
1996	7,172	+60.8%
2001	8,896	+24.0%
2006	9,248	+4.0%
2011	9,824	+6.2%

Image from: "Whistler, British Columbia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 09 May 2014.

Whistler British Columbia's climate is similar to that of San Francisco.  They both reside near the pacific coast of their countries and thus have similar precipitation patterns.  Moist are moving in from the ocean causes a winter wet season, and continental air masses cause drier summers for both locations. San Francisco's close proximity to the ocean and the fact that it is surrounded on three sides by water mean it experiences more moisture, and also more moderate temperatures.  Whistler is also at a higher altitude which results in cooler temperatures in general.  The mechanisms for precipitation vary in these locations.  While Whistler has storms caused by its orographic features uplifting moist air, San Francisco's precipitation is caused mostly by mid latitude cyclones that create occluded fronts.  

San Francisco Climate Graph

Image from: "Weather & Climate: An Analysis of San Francisco." Weather & Climate: An Analysis of San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. 

References:

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

"Climate Trends and Variations Bulletin - Annual 2013." Government of Canada, Environment Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://www.ec.gc.ca/adsc-cmda/default.asp?lang=En&n=8C7AB86B-1>.

"Environment, Land and Resource Use." Whistler2020 -. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://www.whistler2020.ca/whistler/site/genericPage.acds?instanceid=2986153&context=2985223>.

"Meso & Microclimates of British Columbia." Weather and Climate of British Columbia Canada. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://climatebc.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/meso-microclimates-of-british-columbia/>.

"Weather & Climate: An Analysis of San Francisco." Weather & Climate: An Analysis of San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://weatherclimateananalysisofsan.blogspot.com/>.

"Whistler, British Columbia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%2C_British_Columbia>.