Lauderdale, up to Jacksonville and the Gulf coast from Tampa around to Pensacola, even a few feet of higher sea level are an extremely serious issue and require adaptation planning ASAP. Without minimizing the seriousness of that coastal threat, it is important to recognize that many inland areas such as Orlando, Gainesville, and Tallahassee have good safe elevation and are not at all threatened by rising seas.
As people and businesses become more aware of and more concerned about increased coastal flooding, a common response is to consider alternatives to the sunshine state. That might be a little short-sighted. Higher elevation parts of the state may not only retain their value, they may increase as more people consider the vulnerability of where they live. In other words, those high elevation Florida towns are alternative places to vacation, live, and even to consider for investment.
The important point is that sea level rise will not affect places equally. We have to evaluate locations rather than paint with a broad brush.
In late May nearly two feet of rain fell along the Republican River in eastern Colorado causing one of the worst floods in state history. June flash floods in were also devastating. T he weather station at Holly in southeast Colorado measured It is more common, however, to be too dry.
Annual average precipitation ranges from less than 12 inches in the Arkansas Valley between Pueblo and Las Animas to almost 18 inches in extreme northeastern and southeastern corners of the state. Many years are drier than average, and some years receive only half or less the long-term average.
The region seems almost always in or on the verge of drought. Multi-year drought is common to the area such as the decade-long drought of the s, the severe drought of the mid s and s and the recent intense widespread drought of the early s. At the western edge of the plains and near the foothills of the mountains, there are a number of significant changes in climate.
Average wind movement is less, but areas very near the mountains are subject to periodic, severe turbulent winds from the effects of high westerly winds over the mountain barrier.
These winds are sometimes referred to as "chinook winds" when they warm, and "bora winds" when they are associated with a strong cold frontal passage downslope off of the mountains. Temperature changes from day to day are not quite as great; summer temperatures are lower, and winter temperatures are higher. Not surprisingly, this milder corridor close to the mountains is where the majority of Colorado's population now lives.
Precipitation, which decreases gradually from the eastern border to a minimum near the mountains, increases rapidly with the increasing elevation of the foothills and proximity to higher ranges. The decrease in temperature from the eastern boundary westward to the foothills is less than might be expected with increasing altitude.
This results from mountain and valley winds and greater frequency of the chinook. Below the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River, the mountain and valley winds are persistent enough to modify the climate over a considerable area.
Descending air currents frequently prevent the stratification of air necessary for the occurrence of excessive cold. As a consequence, the winter climate is milder near Canon City and Penrose than anywhere else in the State.
Colorado is best known for its mountains. They occupy less of the area of the state than many realize, but they profoundly impact the climate of the entire region. The main feature of the mountainous area of central and western Colorado is the dramatic differences in climate over short distances. With elevations ranging from below 7, feet in the lower mountain valleys to more than 14, feet on the highest peaks, all aspects of the climate are affected: temperature, humidity, precipitation and, of course, wind.
In general, temperatures decrease with elevation. Summer afternoon temperatures consistently decrease about degrees F per thousand feet.
Typical July afternoon temperatures are in the 70s and 80s in the lower valleys but are only in the 50s and 60s in the higher mountains.
But elevational temperature changes are often masked by temperature inversions especially at night and during the winter. Cold air is more dense than warmer air and collects in some of the mountain valleys.
On clear nights, especially during winter when the ground is snow covered, strong temperature inversions form.
Under these circumstances, the coldest temperatures are found near the center of these high valleys, while temperatures in the high mountains are considerably warmer. Even in summer, temperatures can dip below freezing. Such cold temperatures are rare but demonstrate the extremes that mountain weather patterns can produce.
Fortunately, these cold temperatures are nearly always accompanied by light or calm winds. It is quite a different story on the mountain peaks. Strong winds are common at elevations above tree-line approximately 11, feet throughout the winter months and can exceed 50 to mph in exposed locations.
Outdoor adventurers must be prepared for the most extreme of conditions year round, but particularly in winter and spring. Wind patterns in the mountains are almost always controlled by topography. Mountain-valley circulations are common with winds often blowing up the valley from lower to higher elevation during the day reversing and blowing down the valleys at night. The mountains form a substantial block to regional air motion causing winds in most valleys west of the Continental Divide to be very light, especially in fall and winter, while winds along and east of the crest of the Continental Divide are much stronger and typically blow from a westerly direction much of the cool half of the year.
Precipitation patterns are largely controlled by mountain ranges and elevation. Precipitation increases with elevation both winter and summer but the elevation effect is greatest in mid winter when winds at mountain top level are typically strongest.
High peaks and mountain ranges generally receive the majority of their precipitation during with winter months. Snow accumulates without melting in shaded or level areas at elevations above about 8, feet. When it melts in the spring, this snow is the primary source of water for much of the population of the state and provides water for extensive irrigation. Considerable effort is made every year to measure the accumulating snowpack so that water providers and resource managers can plan ahead for the coming summer.
Most of the mountain snow melts during May and June when rivers reach their peak for the year. In summer, mountain peaks and ranges are effective thunderstorm generators whenever the regional air masses are sufficiently moist. Some years, local thunderstorms form nearly every afternoon in and near the mountains.
The last half of July and much of August is particularly prone to mountain thunderstorms while June is often a much drier month in the high country. Snow and soft hail are possible from mountain storms even in July and August.
Hikers and participants in other outdoor activities in the mountains during the summer months must be careful to avoid exposed ridges during stormy periods, as lightning poses a very serious threat throughout the summer.
Lightning also triggers forest fires in drier years. Farther west in Colorado the topography becomes slightly less extreme with lower elevations and combinations of canyons and plateaus. Elevation and topography remain dominant controls of local climates, but precipitation gets progressively less and temperature progressively warmer approaching the Utah border.
Western Colorado winter weather is colder but calmer and less variable than east of the mountains. Temperatures can drop below zero F in all areas of western Colorado, but the valleys of west central and southwest Colorado receive abundant sunshine and the winter climate is not harsh.
An area of western Colorado near Grand Junction is particularly mild and has developed an extensive fruit growing area. Anything from apricots and peaches to wine grapes and sweet corn is grown in the area from Delta and Paonia to Grand Junction and Palisade. Most of the population of western Colorado lives in this region. Originally Posted by BullochResident. I suspect it would be drier especially in the cooler season, and drier overall. Summers would be hotter than Maputo, though.
If I have time, I'll do a fictional climate chart. It would be even more interesting if the mountains were higher say at least feet.
Originally Posted by deneb If the mountains were high enough, this would protect Southern Florida from cold snaps, and keep the northern panhandle a bit cooler in the winter due to some of the heat and moisture being blocked in the south. In other words, a big differentiation in temperatures from north to south would result in the winter. I'd hate it. Part of what I love about Florida is its flatness. Hills and mountains make me feel claustrophobic.
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