Reflection Sandpoint vs Navarre

Navarre, Florida is a coastal region that is located at 30 25’ 53’’ N and 86 55’ 44’’W with an elevation of 34 feet.  Sandpoint Idaho is a continental region that is located at 48 16’N and 116 34’ W with an elevation just above 2000 feet. Each of these two places have different climates because of their region, topography, and air masses.   

Sandpoint, Idaho
Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Sandpoint

 Source: http://amyleesellsproperty.blogspot.com/2009/03/beach-house-for-sale-navarre-beach.html

Sandpoint Idaho experiences the Maritime Polar, Continental Polar, and Continental Arctic air masses.  Navarre, Florida experience much different air mass,, the Maritime Tropic and it typically is their only air mass unless of jet streams and Rossby waves that reach their way to the panhandle.  Sandpoint’s air masses are Maritime Polar- cool and humid, Continental Polar- very cold and dry, and Continental Arctic- bitterly cold and very dry. These are all somewhat stable conditions year round. Navarre, Florida’s air mass Maritime tropic is warm and humid year round but is also unstable the entire year.  These air masses allow for unique climates in both these locations as well as their topography. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Weather/Selected_article/9

Sandpoint is a somewhat dry with only 17 inches of rain per year most of that is in snowfall in the months of November through February.  Navarre has almost double the precipitation with approximately 33 inches of rainfall per year.  The rainfall is not only due to the humid condition that Navarre air masses carry, but also their location.  Because Sandpoint Idaho is on the lee side of a mountain range they typically have mid latitude cyclones that cause high amounts of snow in the winter and almost no precipitation during the other parts of the year.  Whereas Navarre is located almost at sea level and has no mountain ranges.

Elevation Map of Sandpoint, ID
Source: http://www.chafe150.org/ride.shtml

Topographic Map of Navarre, FL
Source: http://www.topoquest.com/map-detail.php?usgs_cell_id=31428