CLIMATE | Non Place 2022

United States- General climate

Varied Climate Types

Due to the size of the United States, the climate varies massively.
The south is subject to hotter conditions than the North

Figure 1: Climate Types Across The United States

Temperature Variance

Hotter South, e.g. Florida, reach temperatures of 85 degrees (F)
Colder North reach lows of 40 Degrees (F)

Figure 2: Average Temperatures The United States

South East- General climate

Warmer and Wetter South

Figure 3: Average Temperatures The South East

Figure 4: Average Precipitation The South East

The Wet Season

The wet season has 3 stages:
1) Late May-June is the time of severe thunderstorms often with hail and flooding is common
2) July-Early September is the time of most severe winds and hurricanes
3) Mid September- October is the time of 'wind down' and usually is less windy but storms begin to get colder.

Figure 5: The Wet Season

The Dry Season

Dry season is October through to May
Temperatures, humidity and rainfall all drop
Wind speeds usually stabilise
Rare for storms to occur in dry season
Residents prefer the dry season- can open windows and is generally more comfortable
Rare occasions of Drought

Figure 6: The Dry Season

Florida- General climate

Location and Climate

Florida is 1 degree North of the Tropic of Cancer and is one of the closest US states to the equator
Sub tropical climate with mild winters and wet warm summers

Climate Issues:

Often too hot and humid in summer to be comfortable outside
25 dangerous heat days a year
Often experience sub-tropical storms

Figure 7: Florida location in context of the tropics

Climate Change Temperature Increase

Temperatures have risen 2 degrees (F) in the last decade in South Florida and is expected to keep rising

Figure 8: Temperature increase in the last decade (Florida circled)

Cape Coral- General Climate

Precipitation

156mm rain wet season
52mm rain dry season

Wet season is May-Oct

Figure 9: Monthly precipitation 2022 (mm)

Rains 3/4 days in wet season
Rains 1/10 days in dry season

Figure 10: Daily chance of rain 2022

Temperature

Max temp 33 degrees
Min temp 13 degrees

Figure 11: Average Monthly Temperature 2022

Cape Coral- Extreme Climate

Hurricanes

Figure 12: Hurricane Ian Over Cape Coral

What is a hurricane?

Defined as 'a storm with winds speeds exceeding 74mph'
Dangers include: high winds, torrential rain and storm surges

Figure 13: Hurricane Ian Cape Coral

Major Hurricane Timeline- Cape Coral

Hurricane Donna

Only 40 homes in the city at this point
92mph winds, which lifted roofs off buildings
No major damage other than this

Hurricane Charley

134,000 residents at this time
120mph winds ripped roofs off and toppled trees causing $500million damages
Followed by extreme heat and dryness, which was issue due to shelter being destroyed

Hurricane Wilma

50mph winds caused $1.6 million damages
Minor damage but, due to close proximity to Charley, damage was devastating
Small fire in the city caused by Traffic lights falling into pool

Hurricane Irma

110mph winds caused surprisingly little damage
Hit Cape Coral late in it's life span so reduced damage

Hurricane Ian

Currently, the top speed of wind was 155mph
Damage extent unknown until hurricane is over

1960

2004

2005

2017

2022

Figure 14: Hurricane Timeline for Cape Coral

Hurricane Ian- The Storm Surge and The Flood

What is storm surge?

Strong winds during a hurricane can cause the water level to rise
It is especially present in coastal locations, such as Cape Coral
In the video, you can see most of Cape Coral experiences flooding at 9ft of water rise, due to the flat nature of the city.

Figure 15: Predicted storm surge for Hurricane Ian at 3ft intervals based on data from The New York Times

Figure 16: Storm Surge from Storm Ian

Hurricane Ian Damage

Figure 17: Various news Titles from Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian Route

Hurricane route goes across Florida from the South West up to the North East
Eye of the hurricane just scraped Cape Coral meaning that mass destruction was seen there
Damage is greatest near the storms eye

Hurricane Ian Key times and dates: