Newhalem, Washington
Newhalem, Washington | |
|---|---|
UTC-7 (PDT) | |
| Area code | 360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1523641[1] |
Newhalem (Lushootseed: dxʷʔiyb) is a small unincorporated community on the Skagit River in the western foothills of the North Cascades, in Whatcom County, northwestern Washington, United States.
Description
The name Newhalem has its roots in a local indigenous language as meaning 'Goat Snare', as the natives used to trap mountain goats in the area.[2]
In pre-colonial times, the site was inhabited by members of the
There was a school in Newhalem a long time ago but it was demolished because the population had severely dropped. Now the students have about a 1+1⁄2-hour bus to Concrete.[citation needed]
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, Washington, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1909–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
113 (45) |
109 (43) |
108 (42) |
99 (37) |
83 (28) |
74 (23) |
61 (16) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.8 (9.3) |
52.8 (11.6) |
63.3 (17.4) |
75.7 (24.3) |
86.4 (30.2) |
89.8 (32.1) |
94.5 (34.7) |
93.8 (34.3) |
86.8 (30.4) |
70.5 (21.4) |
54.9 (12.7) |
48.5 (9.2) |
97.3 (36.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.1 (4.5) |
43.7 (6.5) |
49.4 (9.7) |
57.9 (14.4) |
66.5 (19.2) |
70.4 (21.3) |
78.0 (25.6) |
78.6 (25.9) |
71.0 (21.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
45.4 (7.4) |
39.5 (4.2) |
58.1 (14.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
38.3 (3.5) |
42.2 (5.7) |
48.7 (9.3) |
56.1 (13.4) |
60.2 (15.7) |
65.8 (18.8) |
66.4 (19.1) |
60.6 (15.9) |
50.3 (10.2) |
41.2 (5.1) |
36.0 (2.2) |
50.2 (10.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.2 (0.1) |
32.9 (0.5) |
35.0 (1.7) |
39.5 (4.2) |
45.7 (7.6) |
49.9 (9.9) |
53.7 (12.1) |
54.3 (12.4) |
50.3 (10.2) |
43.7 (6.5) |
36.9 (2.7) |
32.5 (0.3) |
42.2 (5.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 22.1 (−5.5) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
32.2 (0.1) |
36.7 (2.6) |
43.1 (6.2) |
47.6 (8.7) |
47.8 (8.8) |
43.4 (6.3) |
35.1 (1.7) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) |
4 (−16) |
14 (−10) |
23 (−5) |
30 (−1) |
35 (2) |
39 (4) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
20 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
5 (−15) |
0 (−18) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 12.40 (315) |
7.16 (182) |
8.36 (212) |
4.65 (118) |
3.01 (76) |
2.58 (66) |
1.40 (36) |
1.68 (43) |
3.55 (90) |
8.78 (223) |
13.58 (345) |
11.70 (297) |
78.85 (2,003) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.2 (26) |
7.7 (20) |
2.8 (7.1) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.4 (6.1) |
6.3 (16) |
29.5 (75) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 8.3 (21) |
4.8 (12) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (2.8) |
7.5 (19) |
12.4 (31) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 18.5 | 15.2 | 19.1 | 16.5 | 13.2 | 12.8 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 11.3 | 17.3 | 20.6 | 19.1 | 176.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 12.1 |
| Source: NOAA[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Newhalem in literature and film
The writer
Portions of the 1983 Hollywood movie WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick, were filmed in Newhalem [6] (most notably the scenes of the "Cheyenne Mountain Complex", filmed in an abandoned gravel pit northwest of the town).
Some locations in the "Alan Wake" videogame are inspired by elements of Newhalem.
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.
References
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Geoffrey Wolff, Tobias's brother, refers to it as "Newhalem Camp" in the biography of their father, The Duke of Deception.
- ^ WarGames (1983)
48°40′25″N 121°14′50″W / 48.67361°N 121.24722°W
 | ||||
| CDPs | ||||
| Indian reservations |
| |||
| Unincorporated communities |
| |||
| Ghost towns | ||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
