Growing up in Michigan, we'd often pass this sign on road trips "up north." The idea was the Pellston was the coldest spot in the nation. I'm not sure how the summit of Mt. Rainier would feel about that, but Pellston does experience some intensely cold temperatures compared to the surrounding area.
The reason: Pellston sits in a valley and cold air sinks into it at night.
As it turns out, our farm also sits in a valley and cold air also tends to sink into it. I received a weather station for my birthday and it's come in handy in documenting this effect. In the last week, we've had three frosts! Nighttime lows have made it down to 33 degrees Fahrenheit. For comparison, the RECORD low for our closest NOAA weather station in Everett is around 37 degrees for this time of year. Although we're about 100 feet higher in elevation than Everett, the difference is much more related to our local topography (at the bottom of a valley) and being farther away from the warming effect of Puget Sound.
I was not expecting frosts in early September, and it's thrown a wrench into our garden efforts. The squash have experienced significant frost damage (Corn looks okay and beans are mostly senescent anyway). I don't think the frosts have been intense enough to damage the squash fruits, but I'm a bit nervous. Everything I've read suggests harvesting your winter squash BEFORE the first frost, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Just another challenge to overcome in farming!
The reason: Pellston sits in a valley and cold air sinks into it at night.
As it turns out, our farm also sits in a valley and cold air also tends to sink into it. I received a weather station for my birthday and it's come in handy in documenting this effect. In the last week, we've had three frosts! Nighttime lows have made it down to 33 degrees Fahrenheit. For comparison, the RECORD low for our closest NOAA weather station in Everett is around 37 degrees for this time of year. Although we're about 100 feet higher in elevation than Everett, the difference is much more related to our local topography (at the bottom of a valley) and being farther away from the warming effect of Puget Sound.
I was not expecting frosts in early September, and it's thrown a wrench into our garden efforts. The squash have experienced significant frost damage (Corn looks okay and beans are mostly senescent anyway). I don't think the frosts have been intense enough to damage the squash fruits, but I'm a bit nervous. Everything I've read suggests harvesting your winter squash BEFORE the first frost, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Just another challenge to overcome in farming!
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