Newhalem, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Newhalem, Washington
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Newhalem from nearby Trappers Peak, North Cascades National Park
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Country | United States |
State | Washington |
County | Whatcom |
Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Area code(s) | 360 |
GNIS feature ID | 1523641 |
Newhalem (Lushootseed: dxʷʔiyb) is a small unincorporated community in northwestern Washington, United States, located in the western foothills of the North Cascades along the Skagit River. It is located within Whatcom County.
Contents
Climate
Newhalem has plentiful rainfall year-round, but with significantly less rainfall in the summer months than in winter. According to the Köppen climate classification, Newhalem has an Oceanic climate (Cfb).
Climate data for Newhalem | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
71 (22) |
78 (26) |
91 (33) |
101 (38) |
109 (43) |
109 (43) |
108 (42) |
99 (37) |
83 (28) |
74 (23) |
61 (16) |
109 (43) |
Average high °F (°C) | 39.3 (4.1) |
43.9 (6.6) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
64.7 (18.2) |
70.0 (21.1) |
76.8 (24.9) |
76.9 (24.9) |
70.2 (21.2) |
57.2 (14.0) |
45.5 (7.5) |
39.6 (4.2) |
57.5 (14.2) |
Average low °F (°C) | 31.2 (−0.4) |
32.8 (0.4) |
34.8 (1.6) |
38.8 (3.8) |
44.4 (6.9) |
49.4 (9.7) |
52.8 (11.6) |
53.5 (11.9) |
49.6 (9.8) |
43.1 (6.2) |
36.4 (2.4) |
32.1 (0.1) |
41.6 (5.3) |
Record low °F (°C) | 1 (−17) |
2 (−17) |
14 (−10) |
23 (−5) |
30 (−1) |
35 (2) |
39 (4) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
20 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
−4 (−20) |
−4 (−20) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 12.4 (310) |
8.11 (206) |
7.44 (189) |
4.98 (126) |
3.33 (85) |
2.69 (68) |
1.74 (44) |
1.94 (49) |
3.65 (93) |
8.03 (204) |
13 (330) |
12.39 (315) |
79.7 (2,020) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.5 (39) |
6.9 (18) |
2.2 (5.6) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2.7 (6.9) |
9.6 (24) |
37.1 (94) |
Average precipitation days | 19 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 178 |
Newhalem in literature and film
The writer Tobias Wolff lived in Newhalem as a boy in the late 1950s, after his mother moved from west Seattle to marry a mechanic who lived in one of the company houses. In his memoir, This Boy's Life, he calls this isolated settlement "Chinook," and describes how the nearest high school was a long bus ride away, in a slightly larger hamlet called Concrete. In the 1993 film version of This Boy's Life, starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, the two places are combined and called "Concrete."
Portions of the 1983 Hollywood movie WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick, were filmed in Newhalem (most notably the scenes of the "Cheyenne Mountain Complex", filmed in an abandoned gravel pit northwest of the town).
Newhalem Summer Softball Tournament
Each third weekend of July since 1977 there has been a "mushball" softball tournament. The competitors are Skagit Valley teams. Players camp a mile from the fields. On the second morning is a pancake feed at the firehall. The single field presents challenges not normally found at softball tournaments, plus the 7am start on Saturday.
Highway 20
Newhalem is the final place on Highway 20 to purchase supplies before crossing Rainy Pass and entering Eastern Washington.
See also
In Spanish: Newhalem (Washington) para niños