Blakely Island, Washington

Blakely Island (SENĆOŦEN: XEMXEMIȽĆ) in San Juan County, Washington is the sixth largest island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, United States, encompassing a land area of 16.852 km2 (6.507 sq m). It is separated from Cypress Island to the east by Rosario Strait. The population was 56 persons as of the 2000 census.

Blakely
Native name:
XEMXEMIȽĆ
Location of Blakely Island in the San Juans
Blakely
Geography
LocationPacific Northwest
Coordinates48.56025°N 122.80243°W / 48.56025; -122.80243
ArchipelagoSan Juan Islands
Area6.507 sq mi (16.85 km2)
Administration
United States
StateWashington
CountySan Juan County
Demographics
Population56 (2000)
Blakely Island, seen from Washington State Ferry en route from Lopez Island to Anacortes through Thatcher Pass.

There is no public ferry service to Blakely Island. Access is only by boat or private ferry, arriving at the marina at the northern tip of the island. There is also a private airstrip for the exclusive use of property owners. The only services available on Blakely Island are at a general store and cafe, located at the marina and open seasonally.[1] Seattle Pacific University runs a 967-acre biological field station on Blakely Island.[2]

Blakely Island was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, in honor of Johnston Blakeley, a naval commander during the War of 1812.[3] Thatcher bay, on the island's east coast, was the site of seasonal Samish tribal villages and, during the territorial period, the mill town of Thatcher, Washington.[4] In 2014, toxic creosote pilings left over from earlier habitation were removed from the waters of Thatcher bay.[5]

The island is hilly and heavily forested, with few maintained roads or paths. There are two freshwater lakes, Horseshoe Lake and Spencer Lake, at the center of the island.[1] A freshwater creek, Spencer creek, flows from Spencer Lake into Thatcher Bay.[4]

Climate
Climate data for Blakely Island, Washington
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)		 69
(21)		 79
(26)		 83
(28)		 90
(32)		 95
(35)		 101
(38)		 95
(35)		 88
(31)		 82
(28)		 69
(21)		 74
(23)		 101
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 45.0
(7.2)		 48.6
(9.2)		 52.3
(11.3)		 57.8
(14.3)		 63.6
(17.6)		 68.2
(20.1)		 72.2
(22.3)		 72.2
(22.3)		 67.5
(19.7)		 59.2
(15.1)		 51.0
(10.6)		 46.3
(7.9)		 58.7
(14.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 39.8
(4.3)		 42.2
(5.7)		 45.2
(7.3)		 49.7
(9.8)		 54.7
(12.6)		 58.9
(14.9)		 62.0
(16.7)		 62.1
(16.7)		 58.4
(14.7)		 51.9
(11.1)		 45.2
(7.3)		 41.2
(5.1)		 50.9
(10.5)
Average low °F (°C) 34.5
(1.4)		 36.0
(2.2)		 38.1
(3.4)		 41.6
(5.3)		 45.7
(7.6)		 49.6
(9.8)		 51.7
(10.9)		 51.8
(11.0)		 49.4
(9.7)		 44.6
(7.0)		 39.5
(4.2)		 36.0
(2.2)		 43.2
(6.2)
Record low °F (°C) 6
(−14)		 9
(−13)		 18
(−8)		 27
(−3)		 31
(−1)		 33
(1)		 35
(2)		 33
(1)		 19
(−7)		 23
(−5)		 10
(−12)		 4
(−16)		 4
(−16)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.5
(89)		 2.5
(64)		 2.3
(58)		 1.8
(46)		 1.6
(41)		 1.4
(36)		 0.8
(20)		 1.0
(25)		 1.5
(38)		 2.6
(66)		 3.8
(97)		 3.8
(97)		 26.6
(680)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.1
(5.3)		 1.1
(2.8)		 0.5
(1.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.4
(1.0)		 1.0
(2.5)		 5.1
(13)
Average precipitation days 17 13 14 11 9 8 4 5 8 12 17 17 135
Source: Weatherbase[6]

References
  1. "The 'other' San Juan islanders go their own way". Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  2. "About BIFS". spu.edu. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  3. Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  4. Breems, Joel; Wyllie-Echeverria, Sandy; Grossman, Eric; Elliot, Joel (2008). "Thatcher Bay, Washington, Nearshore Restoration Assessment" (PDF). pubs.usgs.gov. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. "Toxic creosote pilings removed near Blakely Island - Journal of the San Juan Islands". Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  6. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather or Blakely Island, Washington". Weatherbase. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
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