Nick Bond Reflects on Best Places to Retire in Washington

“I’m a California boy, and grew up in Sacramento,” says Nick Bond, Washington State Climatologist. “I moved to Seattle for graduate school and to make climate my life’s work.”

He hasn’t looked back since and now considers Washington his lifelong home.

“In part, what I do now is because of a big drought that occurred in California. It had a profound impact on me when I was in my early 20s. I was struck by how unusual the weather was—it motivated me to study atmospheric science in grad school at the University of Washington.”

Before moving to Seattle, Nick researched climate at the state college in Sacramento and noticed that a lot of climate textbooks were written by professors at the UW, so he decided to apply there. “I had heard vaguely good things about Seattle,” says Nick of that time before Seattle became the world-class city it is today. Without knowing much about the area, he took a leap of faith and moved.

It is clear when talking to our state climatologist that he is very enthusiastic about his job. “From the start I was interested in storms and a lot of my early work had to do with the structures of those storms over the ocean,” explains Nick. “I did research on how storms are modified when they come into land and have mountains in the way; sometimes the winds slow down but sometimes they actually speed up!” Now his research focuses on how climate and ocean conditions affect marine ecosystems, work that has clear implications for the Northwest.

“Around here, for example, salmon runs seem to be very strongly related to what the weather and climate are doing…” Favorable conditions mean high survival rates for salmon. Other times survival is low which affects how many salmon sport or commercial fishermen can take.

With his PhD in Atmospheric Sciences and an undergraduate degree in physics, Nick is quite the scientific guy, but one who can explain climate and weather in everyday terms. In addition to his work as state climatologist, Nick is an employee at a UW research unit for studying atmosphere and ocean (JISAO), but much of his time is spent collaborating with scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at their campus near Seattle’s Magnuson Park. He also teaches a laboratory class each year at the UW on weather analysis and forecasting. “It is the last class for undergraduate seniors,” says Nick. “It basically tries to pull the students’ ‘book learnin’ together, how to put their theoretical knowledge to practical application.” He enjoys interacting with students, plus, he adds, “They are a fresh audience for my stale jokes – new victims!”

Nick Bond can often be found at events educating the public about climate and weather

His busy schedule is rounded out on committees and public speaking (including talks at retirement communities). And he offers a weekly radio talk Fridays on KUOW 94.9FM at a few minutes before 1pm. “I enjoy doing it and it’s a good way for the public to know about the connections between weather, climate and other parts of our environment. I’m especially interested in talking about those connections.”

Nick spends only about a quarter of his time at the state climate office, but considers it a very important part of his overall work. “The climate office is a resource for both the public and state agencies,” he says. “It provides any interested parties with past, present and future climate data.”

When Nick first started his career, he spent a fair amount of time on research aircraft taking measurements in storms. “Last October I had a chance to do some more field research in an aircraft flying out of Fairbanks, Alaska, over the ice edge studying the arctic ice pack. It is very interesting, taking measurements that no one has ever taken before. There is definitely an element of discovery.

“All along throughout my career I’ve been interested in local weather and climate... Before that drought in California, I didn’t think about the weather too much. I think about it all the time now. Just ask my wife!”

Nick met his wife while in graduate school in Seattle. They married in 1985 and have two adult children. “So we are empty nesters with no grandkids last time I looked,” reports Nick. His 24-year-old daughter is an actuary living in Phoenix; his son is 27 and works in politics, splitting time between Seattle and Olympia.

Nick loves his work and puts in far more than 40 hours each week (“My wife will back me up on that”), but somehow he still finds time for other activities. “I enjoy gardening even though the state of my yard might not justify it! And I definitely like cooking and consider it a hobby.” He also confesses to being something of a sports and fitness nut. “I’m almost obsessive about getting a lot of exercise,” he admits. “At age 60, I still play basketball. And I ride my bike to work.” He describes himself as an inveterate bicycle rider—rain or shine, year-round. In the summer he enters a few sprint triathlons, where contestants swim, bike and run. “The races are an excuse to train and it’s kind of fun, especially when you finish.”

Retirement is still a few years away, but Nick plans to stay in the Northwest when he retires. “There is no question about that,” he says. “I like Seattle… but who knows; there are other parts of the state that certainly have their charms. Right now I love Seattle and have no plans to move anytime soon...” especially since he may stay connected to the state climate office (located on campus at the UW) even after he retires. “Continuing that work on a 10 to 20 percent basis would keep me out of trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised if instead of making a sudden break in retirement I wind down gradually. And I hope to stay active playing in the dirt in the garden, and with my pots and pans, cooking-up stuff my wife doesn’t always want to eat. Although I travel quite a bit as part of my job and get to go to interesting and enjoyable places, I’m sure we’ll do a little more traveling when the time comes.”

Nick’s Take on Washington State Weather and ‘Best Places to Retire’

“Weather can’t be summarized neatly; temperature and precipitation are not the whole story,” says Nick. “Some people care about sunny versus cloudy. Some folks might like a very big change from a hot summer to a cold winter while others want more moderate temperatures throughout the year. One size doesn’t fit all, but what is remarkable is that in Washington State, whatever you want, you can probably get it here.”

Sunshine: “If you really like sunshine, and especially in the winter, you are best off on the east side of the Cascades. In particular Omak, Yakima and Wenatchee (all on the edge of the mountains) have the fewest clouds and the most sunny days. It can be pretty chilly there in winter so there are trade-offs, but if you want sun in the winter in Washington, that’s where you go.”

Clouds: “Western Washington’s marine influence means more clouds and rain on this side of the mountains. Not everyone wants sunshine every day; some of us are bookworms and enjoy that comforting blanket of clouds. If you don’t like clouds, I would avoid the lowlands in the South Sound stretching from western Pierce, through Thurston to Lewis County. Many locations are especially cloudy with more frequent thick fogs.”

Rain Shadow: “There is definitely more sunshine and less rain in Port Townsend, Sequim, and Port Angeles, but no matter where you are west of the Cascades, you will have to get used to clouds. If you are a true Northwesterner, you celebrate clouds instead of dread them!”

Temperature:

• “The location with the warmest average temperature in Washington State is Vancouver in Clark County. This is from the perspective of an annual average, Vancouver is the warmest spot because the winters are relatively mild, not because the summers are especially hot.”

• “If you like really hot summers, the Tri-Cities is your best bet. But it gets pretty chilly in winter. Some people like cold weather. I like it and try to get to Alaska in the winter any excuse I can find. But that’s just one of my own character flaws. The small town of Republic in Ferry County in northeast Washington is the coldest place in the state on an annual average. But during the winter months themselves, Winthrop and Mazama in the Methow Valley are the coldest towns. If you really like cold winters that is where you want to live. There are some of us that like cold weather, and please don’t judge us,” laughs Nick.

• “But on the other hand if you hate cold weather in winter, you want to be west of the Cascade crest. Microclimates play a really big role in the interior valleys. In lower areas, the cold air pools at lower elevations and it can be a lot colder than close-by places. For example, Sea-Tac Airport gets fewer nights of freezing weather than nearby Tacoma because cold air drains off the bluff on which the airport is located.. Similarly, when the weather is calm and clear in winter, Paine Field in Everett can be 10 to 15 degrees warmer at night than nearby Arlington.”

• “If you are lucky enough to live right next to water, like Puget Sound or Lake Washington, those areas tend to be more moderate—warmer in winter and cooler in summer than nearby locations.”

Puget Sound Convergence Zone: “North King and south Snohomish Counties often experience a convergence zone in the winds caused by the Olympic Mountains, especially in spring. And while these locations get some protection from the mountains during very wet Pineapple Express-type storms, the convergence zone can also give them more rain when other parts of the area might be only cloudy.”

Wind: “Because of our terrain there are big differences in winds from place to place. If you are a kite flying fanatic, consider that in the summer the windiest spots are on the west side of Whidbey Island and near Ellensburg in Kittitas Valley. It depends on your point of view if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. If you hate the wind, the west side of Toledo in the Cowlitz River Valley is probably the least windy spot in the state for which we have long wind records. On the east side of the mountains, it tends to be less windy in places like Omak and Winthrop that are in protected valleys. We see the same thing around Spokane, with the airport west of town being windier than the Spokane River Valley running through and east of the city. The differences in wind speed can be really striking. For example, Seattle’s Boeing Field routinely has 4-to-5 miles per hour weaker winds than nearby Sea- Tac Airport.”

Thunderstorms: “Among the lower 48 states, Washington has fewer thunderstorms per square mile than any other state. So if you love thunderstorms, like me, Washington is not the place to be. But we are seeing a tendency for a few more thunderstorms in the summer, though they are still quite rare on the west side of the Cascades. On average, there are six days of thunderstorms per year on the west side of the Cascades, and 10-12 days east of the mountains. Tornadoes are rare phenomena, but they do happen here. On average, Washington has one or two weak tornadoes per year. Clark County, near Vancouver, appears to be kind of a hot spot for tornadoes in our state, though they are still really rare.”

Nick Bond invites Northwest Prime Time readers to contact the Office of the Washington State Climatologist if they want to check out weather and climate information for their retirement destination. “We take data requests, not just from agencies, but from the public, too. I’ve had glider pilots and all sorts of folks make inquires. We have our fingertips on data that we can get to pretty easily. It is part of our role to be of service.”

For more information about the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, visit www.climate.washington.edu or call 206-543-3145.