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Although Block Island is technically a Cfb climate because its coldest month is at 32 F…the overall climate of Block Island stands in fairly stark contrast to typical oceanic climates like Seattle, Vancouver, and London…etc.
For one thing average summer temps are much warmer (77 – 78 F) than typical oceanic climates. Block Island often sees many days in the 80’s in the July – Sept months, more so than would typical Cfb climates like Seattle, Vancouver…etc. In fact, I think Block Island has hit 100 F a few times. Also, SST is often in the lower 70’s in this part of the Atlantic in the summer months...far warmer than the 50 F SST typically found close to high latitude oceanic climates. So summer nights are about 10 F warmer on Block Island than in oceanic climates like Seattle or Vancouver...and dew points are often much more sultury in summer. Also, Block Island is subject to hurricanes, something that is impossible in high latitude oceanic climates.
A bit too cool for me however, but otherwise, an interesting climate, and I have visited BI a few times. It has nice beaches and interesting architecture. C+
Too cold in winter, not hot enough in summer. Too wet. D+. (The + is because it's warmer then the PNW in the summer and warmer then inland at the same lat. in the winter.)
This climate is like the winters of Prince Rupert and the summers of Paris.. both of which are Oceanic, but yeah, it's lower latitude so will obviously differ a lot from high latitude places like London and Paris
Although Block Island is technically a Cfb climate because its coldest month is at 32 F…the overall climate of Block Island stands in fairly stark contrast to typical oceanic climates like Seattle, Vancouver, and London…etc.
For one thing average summer temps are much warmer (77 – 78 F) than typical oceanic climates. Block Island often sees many days in the 80’s in the July – Sept months, more so than would typical Cfb climates like Seattle, Vancouver…etc. In fact, I think Block Island has hit 100 F a few times. Also, SST is often in the lower 70’s in this part of the Atlantic in the summer months...far warmer than the 50 F SST typically found close to high latitude oceanic climates. So summer nights are about 10 F warmer on Block Island than in oceanic climates like Seattle or Vancouver...and dew points are often much more sultury in summer. Also, Block Island is subject to hurricanes, something that is impossible in high latitude oceanic climates.
A bit too cool for me however, but otherwise, an interesting climate, and I have visited BI a few times. It has nice beaches and interesting architecture. C+
Yes Block Island to me looks more like a hybrid climate than a pure oceanic climate.. it has some oceanic features but also some continental features...
According to Wikipedia and other climate data, it says the record high for Block Island is 95°F so I don't think it's hit 100 there..
Yes Block Island to me looks more like a hybrid climate than a pure oceanic climate.. it has some oceanic features but also some continental features...
According to Wikipedia and other climate data, it says the record high for Block Island is 95°F so I don't think it's hit 100 there..
Block Island has some oceanic features but also some continental features as well. I think that some of the islands a bit further south down the Atlantic coast (like Wallops Island, VA, the islands inside the Outer Banks of North Carolina…etc) in a way are closer to the cool, but not cold winters of true oceanic climates. Locations like the Bodie Island, NC might only see a frost 5 times a year and very little snow. The problem is that once you consider these type of locations, the hot season is so long (May through October)….so warm (average highs above 78 F for half the year)….that they seem more subtropical than oceanic.
As far as max temps at Block Island…you’re right - the record high on Block Island is 95 F set in 1948. However, the full time weather station was closed in 1970 on Block Island. On August 2, 1975, nearby Nantucket, MA (30 miles out to sea), hit 100 F (the current record at the weather station there), and reports of 100 F (and over) were made on Block Island, Fishers Island, and the eastern end of Long Island. I read a few articles that many meteorologists think that BI likely has hit 100 F on this day.
In any event, Block Island, like all tiny "out to sea" locations is a strange and interesting place.
Block Island has some oceanic features but also some continental features as well. I think that some of the islands a bit further south down the Atlantic coast (like Wallops Island, VA, the islands inside the Outer Banks of North Carolina…etc) in a way are closer to the cool, but not cold winters of true oceanic climates. Locations like the Bodie Island, NC might only see a frost 5 times a year and very little snow. The problem is that once you consider these type of locations, the hot season is so long (May through October)….so warm (average highs above 78 F for half the year)….that they seem more subtropical than oceanic.
I'd say it's an in between an oceanic and continental climate. Not as oceanic as a Western European or Pacific NW climate but still a different class than most North American continental climates, not like a Midwestern or even an interior New England climate. Growing season is relatively long (mid-April to mid-November frost free) and fluctations a bit lower. Early spring, like much of coastal New England is chilly. March is less than one degree warmer than December, an indicator of a large seasonal lag and strong oceanic influence.
Unlike typical oceanic locations, Block Island is rather sunny, though it might get a bit of fog and low clouds from the coast if it's similar to barrier islands by Long Island. And the dewpoint is higher than a typical oceanic climate in the summer; not sticky like the South or a place like DC but noticeably humid. Warm and humid-ish rather than hot and sticky. Not a bad a place to be in the summer.
Quote:
On August 2, 1975, nearby Nantucket, MA (30 miles out to sea), hit 100 F (the current record at the weather station there), and reports of 100 F (and over) were made on Block Island, Fishers Island, and the eastern end of Long Island. I read a few articles that many meteorologists think that BI likely has hit 100 F on this day.
C. Great summers but winters are much too cold for my liking.
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