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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 7, 2004 Since You Asked Brookings warms up with wind I try to visit the Oregon coast when the Rogue Valley gets too hot for my tastes during the summer. I am always surprised that Brookings seems so much warmer than its coastal counterparts. I don’t blame it on Brookings being located furthest south because Crescent City, Calif., also seems colder. Why is this? — Sarah C., Medford Brookings’ nickname of Oregon’s "banana belt" is well deserved. High temperatures in the 80s, 90s and 100s have been known to break records during the fall and winter in this area. This unusual warming is known as the "Brookings Effect" or "Chetco Effect." The cause can be attributed to nearby mountains, a unique sheltered location, and a weather pattern resulting in deep offshore flow or east wind, according to a Web page posted by the National Weather Service Medford Forecast Office. The offshore wind reaching Brookings originates over the highest peaks of the Siskiyou and Coast Range mountains. As this air descends down to the Chetco River it warms considerably and eventually is funneled into Brookings, creating breezy and warm conditions, NWS officials said. Advertisement Some credit Portland television weatherman Jack Capell for first explaining the Brookings Effect in meteorological terms in 1955. Mountains north of Brookings also shelter the town from cool marine air that typically sweeps across the rest of the coast. Most locals know that weather in Brookings and other coastal towns is often at its best — sometimes reaching into the 80s — during fall and winter when skies are clear. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities