Tindall Top 3 – Micro Climates

You’ve probably heard of micro climates before but don’t think twice about it. But, when we’re talking real estate, it may be something you should consider. Find out below what exactly a micro climate is and why they are important when making your real estate decisions.

What Is A Micro Climate?

A micro climate, by definition, is a small-scale area that experiences a different climate than the surrounding area. The micro climate will have a small variation of temperature, snowfall, rainfall, wind or humidity. Although it’s only a small variation, it is noticeably different. They will typically occur due to features in the landscape such as mountains, elevation, and bodies of water.

One example of a micro climate is a forest. Under the canopy of trees it is typically colder, wetter and has different soil compared to the area surrounding the forest. If it wasn’t for this micro climate, many organisms wouldn’t be able to survive. A second example is a large urban area. There are many factors that affect the micro climate in a city, it is typically warmer due to the building materials that absorb heat and the tall buildings alter the wind flow.

Micro climates are essential to support unique ecosystems all over the world. You have likely noticed a micro climate, even if you didn’t know what it was, as you were walking through a mountain meadow, valley, or marsh. They all work together like patches on a quilt to create the climate on the continent and throughout the entire globe.

Do We Have Them?

We do, in fact, have micro climates all over North Idaho. Because we have a higher elevation, are surrounded by mountain & bodies of water and also have valleys, we have many micro climates in a small area. Back in 2005, 27 different micro climates were identified. The biggest and most noticeable micro climate is a snow belt. This is an area where that’s consistently getting more snow than the surrounding area. We have many snow belts in Northern Idaho. Some are naturally occurring due to the higher elevation and proximity to mountain, whereas others are due to higher population in one area which cause the average temperate to rise.

Why It Matters In Real Estate?

Wouldn’t you want to know if you were purchasing a property that will have consistently longer and colder winters. Or one that will have a higher average temperature? This is important and necessary information to have when deciding on a home purchase or the area you’d like to live. That’s where we come in! We know the area and many of the micro climates, we can steer you in the direction you need to live based on the climate you’d like to live in.

Credit: Science.jrank, Cd’A Press