The climate varies from region to region. The
coastal mountain range has an
average rainfall of about 120 plus inches. The landscape is lush
and fern and moss grow on the forest floors. West of the mountains, a
marine climate provides excellent growing conditions. In the far
east, the
"high desert", 6-8 inches of annual rainfall is normal. The dry
high desert can be very cold and very hot depending on the
season. The Oregon Department of Forestry has a Rainfall Map
that provides a good presentation of the Oregon rainfall.
Another excellent source of information is Oregon State University's Oregon Climate Service.
The amount of rainfall in the Portland area is about 37-40 inches per
year. The same as most US east coast cities. The difference is
that in
Portland, the rains falls lightly, but for longer periods of time.
About 1/3 of the
year is very dry, but 1/3 is very wet, and the last 1/3 is about
fifty-fifty. Nearly 90 percent of the annual rainfall occurs
from October through May. Although the sun shines about 48% of the
time, thanks to our wet seasons, the landscape is beautifully green and
lush in and around Portland - and the book stores and coffee houses do
well too!
A more in depth analysis of Oregon's climate was written by the state climatologists and published by the National Climatic Data Center
Portland is conveniently situated only 45 minutes from beautiful Mt. Hood, 45 minutes from the lush wine country of the Willamette Valley, 50 minutes from the spectacular Columbia Gorge and about 90 minutes from the picturesque Oregon coast. The relief map to the right shows Portland's location in the Willamette Valley.
The Cascade Mountains stretch across the entire north/south length of Oregon, producing areas with two entirely different climates. Oregon has areas with moist marine climates, lush farming land, and high desert country. Oregon is located half way between the equator and the north pole.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 376.5 km² (145.4 mi²). 347.9 km² (134.3 mi²) of it is land and 28.6 km² (11.1 mi²), or 7.6%, is water.
The Portland metropolitan area is located within the Willamette Valley, which follows the Willamette River and the I-5 Corridor. The valley consists of suburban municipalities sprawled around patches of farmland farther south. The further north you travel, towards Portland, the thicker the population density becomes. The vast majority of Oregon's population lives in the Willamette Valley. Interstate 5 bisects the valley and a significant number of commuters travel the I-5 Corridor daily.
Portland lies on top of an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field. The
Boring Lava Field includes at least 32 cinder cones and small shield
volcanoes lying within a radius of 13 miles of Kelly Butte, which is
approximately 4 miles east of downtown Portland.
Portland's
climate is temperate and seasonal. The average rainfall is
approximately 40 to 45 inches per year, but is spread out as Portland
averages 155 days of precipitation a year. Although it lies in the
Marine West Coast climate zone, Portland shows many characteristics of
a Mediterranean climate. The city relatively has mild wet winters, and
hot dry summers. The summer months (June through September) mark the
driest period averaging around 1 inch per month, but it is not uncommon
for summer months to receive little or no precipitation at all.
November through April is the rainy season, with 80% of the total
annual rainfall occurring in those months. Winter low temperatures
hover around 35 °F (2 °C), and summer highs average around 80 °F (26
°C), however summer heat waves with temperatures exceeding 100 °F (38
°C) can happen. But for the most part, the Portland summers are very
pleasant with abundant sunshine. The lowest temperature ever recorded
in Portland was -3 °F (-19 °C), set on February 2, 1950. Portland
recorded a record high 107 °F (41 °C) numerous times, and can reach the
100 °F (38 °C) mark in months from May through September.
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