Why is it cooler in summer near the Sound, and warmer in winter-it seems the Sound is too small to affect temperatures?
No...Puget Sound is definitely big enough to impact our weather. It's up to 900 feet deep in places, and mapmakers have measured 1,332 miles of shoreline! What's called the 'specific heat' of water is much different than air or land. Water changes temperature much more slowly, and that affects air temperatures within several miles of the Sound. Even smaller bodies of water, such as lakes Washington or Sammamish can have that impact.
