windy areas (Seattle, Spokane, Orchards: neighborhoods, living in, vs)

[jeahfoo]

What are the windiest areas/neighborhoods of Spokane/CDA? Or does the whole region get hit with strong winds at the same time? Looking to avoid frequent freezing windy days in the winter where the wind chill just drops the temps

[elousv]

We talked about that a bit here:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/idaho...ind-falls.html


Otis Orchards definitely breezy a lot of the time. Seems like the wind is always going when I go to Cabela's.

[Boxkicker]

Originally Posted by elousv

We talked about that a bit here:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/idaho...ind-falls.html


Otis Orchards definitely breezy a lot of the time. Seems like the wind is always going when I go to Cabela's.

You do realize that Cabela's is in Post Falls not Otis Orchards?

[jeahfoo]

I read through that post and it gives a bit of insight, but I was wondering if some areas are more windy than others. CDA vs Liberty Lake vs Post Falls. Or does it even really matter because they are all going to be windy?

[mistyriver]

I live in Spokane and the only place I really notice being windier is up in the Indian Prairie area (I board my horses there) Five Mile Prairie, and Airway Heights. But not horribly windy...I’ve never really thought of anywhere in Spokane as being particularly windy (on a regular basis) and it’s not my experience that it is.

[Boxkicker]

It generally isn't windy enough to not play golf which is my gauge......

[dozerbear]

Originally Posted by jeahfoo

What are the windiest areas/neighborhoods of Spokane/CDA? Or does the whole region get hit with strong winds at the same time? Looking to avoid frequent freezing windy days in the winter where the wind chill just drops the temps

The big problem with Spokane in winter, (along with all of eastern Washington and northern Idaho) is a lack of wind, which means weeks on end of low clouds and freezing fog. Some here have described it as living in a gray box. This chart lists hours of sunlight for sizing a solar power system, and it shows Spokane as the worst place for winter sun in all of North America, with the exception of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada. Worse than Seattle, worse than Fairbanks, Alaska. Solar Electric System Sizing Step 4 - Determine the Sun Hours Available Per Day,solar power,solar power home,solar power system,solar power plant,residential solar power,power services solar,solar power panel,residential solar power system,solar powe

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by dozerbear

The big problem with Spokane in winter, (along with all of eastern Washington and northern Idaho) is a lack of wind, which means weeks on end of low clouds and freezing fog. Some here have described it as living in a gray box. This chart lists hours of sunlight for sizing a solar power system, and it shows Spokane as the worst place for winter sun in all of North America, with the exception of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada. Worse than Seattle, worse than Fairbanks, Alaska. Solar Electric System Sizing Step 4 - Determine the Sun Hours Available Per Day,solar power,solar power home,solar power system,solar power plant,residential solar power,power services solar,solar power panel,residential solar power system,solar powe

Interesting. We lived offgrid on solar power up near Priest for eight years and grid-tied but still producing our own power for seven more. We did supplement with a generator in winter but not to the extent that this chart implies. And we could have gone without the genny if we’d had to. Life was easier with it.

[ScaryTucson]

Originally Posted by dozerbear

The big problem with Spokane in winter, (along with all of eastern Washington and northern Idaho) is a lack of wind, which means weeks on end of low clouds and freezing fog. Some here have described it as living in a gray box. [/url]

LOL, the big problem in Spokane in winter is dirty SNOW everywhere, it's disgusting (as with any city)...
I don't live there (yet), but I know just from being in similar places in winter.

Freezing fog is awesome until you have to drive in it, I love the way it sometimes forms only right above the ground in thin layers and you can see above it sometimes, it looks like an almost mystical scene with the hills and mountains.

I love the Spokane suburb and outer-burbs area, one of the nicest places in the US IMO.
The vegetation and pine trees are crisp and much greener than most places that get sub-20 inches of rain per year. Actually, Spokane is the greenest place in the US (maybe the world) with such low rainfall totals.

But yup, the reason the pine trees survive is exactly partly the 'gray box', the slow snow melt helps water them in the winter. If the snow melted suddenly like many places, the pine trees would mostly all die from lack of water.