Re: Mediterranean climate regions rainfall data
Lee Poulsen wrote:
> Anyway, a few things I noticed were:
> 2. The mid-highland areas on the dry side of the Hawaiian
islands of
> Maui and Lanai seem to have a temperature and rainfall
profile that
> to my eyeball looks just like any other recognized
mediterranean
> climate region. (Although their peak minimum rainfall
seems to occur
> one month earlier than everywhere else.) I suspected this
after
> having seen all the banksia and protea and eucalyptus
growing at that
> elevation in Maui. I wonder if there are any other islands
or
> highland areas in the subtropics with similar conditions
that are
> also effectively mediterranean. (This would give us "six"
> mediterranean climate regions in the world...)
We, in the Georgia Pacific Basin of British Columbia, have
always considered ourselves the sixth Mediterranean climate
region. This area lies between the southern Coastal Range
of the mainland and the Vancouver Island Mountains. It is a
large basin containing the Strait of Georgia and coastal
islands. I live on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, an
area of reduced rainfall leeward of the Vancouver island
mountain ranges. (The rainforest of the Westcoast is the
other side of these mountains and a zone warmer than we
are.) After moving over these mountain ranges, surface
airflow is level or subsiding, creating clearer and dryer
conditions than those of adjacent coastal areas and less
wind.
The climate is similar to the Mediterranean with winters at
sea level only just below freezing for periods with
occasional extremes some years and many years snow does not
fall at sea level. Our heaviest rainfall is in Nov., Dec.,
and Jan. with over 100cm in each of those months. However,
summers are dry, typically no precipitation for up to 7
weeks through July and August. Average temperatures during
this period are 23-23C.
This region varies from Zone 7 to 9 as microclimate
gardening conditions can vary greatly between the sea and
the mountains. Mount Arrowsmith ((1816m) is only 18 km from
my home with a heavy snowfall (up to 40 feet)and the lowest
treeline in British Columbia.
Thankyou for sharing your research.
Diane Pertson
