Weather And The Bay: Part II

Weather And The Bay: Part II

How The Bay Can Change Air Temperatures

One of the major ways that Narragansett Bay affects our weather is its moderating influence on air temperatures. The temperature of the water in the Bay varies from around 32 degrees in the winter to 75-80 degrees in late July and August. As air passes across the Bay water, it can be either cooled or warmed by the water below.

In the spring and early summer, when Bay water temperatures are climbing through the 30s, then 40s and 50s, the cooler salt water chills the milder air passing over it. Many times a bright, sunny 75-degree day in April or May can suddenly turn into a teeth chattering 50-degree ordeal as a chilling breeze picks up from the Bay. That Bay breeze can penetrate miles inland, although admittedly rarely reaches Chepachet or Woonsocket.

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As spring slowly morphs into summer, the Bay water continues to warm into the 60s and low 70s and the Bay breezes become more comfortable, as we all know, a cooling breeze can be most welcome on a sweltering day in July. During the summer that Bay breeze can lower the temperature from the 90s to the 70s in a matter of minutes.

In the fall, the Bay waters cool very slowly falling through the 60s in September and October, reaching into the 50s then 40s in November. This slow cool down allows days to be milder and mellower at communities around the Bay particularly during the early autumn months.

During the winter the Bay has a somewhat less dramatic influence on local temperatures. Bay water temperatures are flirting with freezing, so severe cold snaps with temperatures ranging from below zero to the teens can be blunted to some degree by the “milder” Bay water. Often, however, the gusty north and northwest winds that usually accompany the frigid air rarely allow the Bay to have much influence as the air passes quickly over the Bay waters. However on a still night, temperatures in Bay communities may be a few degrees higher than other spots away from the coastline because of the “less cold” Bay water. Narragansett Bay rarely freezes over but when it does during occasional severe winters any moderating affect of the Bay water is virtually eliminated.

Next week: Narragansett Bay, Fog, Precipitation and Thunderstorms