‘Microclimates on Orcas’ lecture


January 8, 2013 · 3:43 PM

You may have noticed how different the weather can be on the various areas of Orcas Island.  Olga is different than Eastsound and Deer Harbor can be different from both.

The Orcas Island Garden Club has had two state climatologists speak at meetings and now they have local weather experts to enlighten the group.

At the Jan. 16 meeting, Garden Club President Maryln Meyers and Olga resident John Willis will discuss those Orcas Island microclimates. The sessions starts at 10 a.m. in the Madrona Room of Orcas Center.

Willis’ grandfather, Cecil Willis, began keeping weather records here on Orcas in 1890. The records are continuous to the present. The Willis family is one of nine families in the United States who have kept continuous records in the same location for more than 100 years. You see John’s weekly weather recordings in the Islands’ Sounder.

Meyers, a CoCoRaHS representative from Orcas, has been gathering weather information every day for the past seven years. Meyers and John will enthusiastically discuss the microclimates on Orcas and solicit anecdotal information from the audience.

“We can compare the differences to help us know our own microclimates and garden better,” say organizers.

For further information  see www.orcasislandgradenclub.org.

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