Kalaloch is a small community in the state of Washington in the United States. It sits on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula, home to the spectacular Olympic National Park. The National Park incorporates rugged coastline, high mountains and temperate rainforest.
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The climate in Kalaloch is temperate oceanic, with high rainfall and a pronounced rainy season.
Summer
Summer lasts from June to September and is mild and fairly dry. Temperatures peak during July and August when averages reach 20°C. In June the average is 18°C and in September it is 19°C.
While the weather in Kalaloch is wet year-round, the summer months make up a distinct dry season between May and September. July and August are the driest, as well as the warmest, months and see average rainfall of 35mm. June is a bit wetter, with 56mm of rainfall, and September is slightly wetter still, with an average of 65mm. The dry season is influenced by prevailing winds from the north-west which are cool and dry, and bring dry weather. However, the same winds mean that the temperature is kept fairly low during summer.
The weather can be quite unpredictable thanks to the location on the Pacific coast, the presence of the nearby Olympic Mountains and the heavy influence of prevailing winds. As such, summer weather can be much hotter than the averages suggest, with temperatures often pushing well into the twenties and sometimes into the thirties during July and August.
Autumn
Autumn, from October to mid-November, is slightly cooler but much wetter than summer. Average temperatures in October drop slightly to 15°C, and those in November fall to 11°C. The real change is seen in the level of rainfall. October sees rainfall levels shoot up from 65mm in September to 167mm. These rise yet further in November, which sees rainfall levels of 262mm. The region is the wettest on the mainland United States, and can experience many days of continuous rainfall.
Winter
Winter lasts from late-November till February and the weather is very wet. December and January experience 270mm and 260mm of rainfall respectively - December is the wettest month of the year. February sees rainfall levels begin to fall, and the average in that month is 190mm.
Temperatures are cool, but rarely extremely cold. Extremes of temperature are generally confined to more easterly areas of the state, and Kalalochâs climate is moderated by its position on the Pacific coast. The average temperature in both December and January is 9°C and the average in February is 10°C. Average lows are 3°C in each of those months.
Snow is common, but falls mainly on the higher ground further inland.
Spring
Spring arrives in March, when average temperatures rise to 12°C. The temperature rises gently through the spring, to 14°C in April and 16°C in May. This is accompanied by a gradual reduction in rainfall levels. March is slightly drier than February, with a still-substantial 180mm falling during the month. There is a marked reduction in April when levels fall to 121mm and May sees levels closer to those found in summer, with 82mm falling.