Where would be a better place to live (in the US) in the coming decades?

[ReverendMilkbone]

Currently live in California, want to get out, considering NW (Washington or Oregon) or Northeast (PA, NY, VT, NH, ME)

Really, what I am asking is which of these two places are going to see worse effects of AGW?

Leaning toward the NE, becuase looks like the Pacific blob and RRR is returning to the Pacific, which can and will disrupt the jet stream to Ore and WA, which I think have the potential to BURN in a major way.

Thoughts?

[Jacobus]

It appears that as long as there is ice on Greenland there will be cold and coolness in the Northeast portion of the U.S. (or rather that portion of North America in general). I live in Northern California and from afar, having never been there, the northeast looks like the spot. Of course, that area will have it's own pitfalls, but extended periods of drought may be least among them. I expect the West to continue to dry out and become ever more a tenderbox.

[nanning]

Perhaps a bit further up north? Fairbanks or Fort Yukon, or, if that's too cold for you, somewhere in SE Alaska? Anchorage?
I don't know about Hawaii but Puerto Rico won't be a save place with the 'storms of my grandchildren' coming.
Why are you looking for places in the U.S.A. only?

[Phoenix]

What kind of time frame are you considering important? Are you considering just your own lifespan or are you planning for to lay down some roots that successive family generations might benefit from?

Are you interested in the possibility of prepper lifestyle off the beaten path or do you want to roll with something close to a population center?

[El Cid]

Leaning toward the NE, becuase looks like the Pacific blob and RRR is returning to the Pacific, which can and will disrupt the jet stream to Ore and WA, which I think have the potential to BURN in a major way.

Thoughts?

I don't think that our understanding of local climate is that advanced. Most models can not even cope with the Green Sahara or European precipitation patterns from the Holocene Climate Optimum and give absolutely false results even for events 5-8 thousand years ago. So, I think we should not believe that currently we can forecast localized climate. It's gonna get warmer and wetter globally. That is all we know. Any local effects are a total guesswork and completely unreliable

[gerontocrat]

How about somewhere a long way away from the Continental United States ?

Legal status of territories
See also: Insular area
The U.S. has had territories since its beginning.[25] According to federal law, the term "United States" (used in a geographical sense) means "the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands".[26] Since 1986, the Northern Mariana Islands have also been considered part of the U.S.[26] A 2007 executive order included American Samoa in the U.S. "geographical extent", as reflected in the Federal Register.[27] American Samoa and Jarvis Island are in the Southern Hemisphere, all other U.S. territories are in the Northern Hemisphere.

[interstitial]

The jet stream will probably change no matter where you live. The northeast gets arctic blasts from time to time. I think that is supposed to increase but I am not sure.
 
I like the Northwest coast because it doesn't get real cold or hot because the ocean temperature is in the 50's most of the year. It does warm some in the summer but not like California. Ocean is still cool on the hottest days.  Many people just can't handle the almost 9 months that seem to be cloudy nearly every day. The last few years we have gotten fewer overcast days. I am not sure if climate change or deforestation is responsible. Its probably both. The summers are dryer than they used to be but drought around here is 70 inches of annual rainfall. During the fire season smoke seems to travel up the coast from California or down from Canada.


I read one climate change report that predicted annual precipitation would increase but it would be more concentrated in extreme storm events. I have noticed that in recent years. Flooding should be a primary concern when seeking housing around here. Property without a slope maybe a flood plain. We don't get flash flooding but flooding is a problem. In 2007 flood we got 19.63 inches of rain in one twenty four hour period and we had a lot of rain the week leading up to that. Much of the Tacoma area is in the path of Mt. Rainer. Most Washingtonians live within a few miles of the ocean though steep slopes make it less of a problem than Florida.  When I was in school a fellow grad student had access to actuarial data and he said Idaho was the safest place to live in the U.S. so he moved there. The safety was based on natural disasters and crime. In the end it depends on what you are looking for. [size=78%] [/size]

[The Walrus]

Leaning toward the NE, becuase looks like the Pacific blob and RRR is returning to the Pacific, which can and will disrupt the jet stream to Ore and WA, which I think have the potential to BURN in a major way.

Thoughts?

I don't think that our understanding of local climate is that advanced. Most models can not even cope with the Green Sahara or European precipitation patterns from the Holocene Climate Optimum and give absolutely false results even for events 5-8 thousand years ago. So, I think we should not believe that currently we can forecast localized climate. It's gonna get warmer and wetter globally. That is all we know. Any local effects are a total guesswork and completely unreliable

I agree.  Beyond warmer and wetter, it is a crapshoot.