Abstract
The dominant influences on climatic patterns in the Pacific Northwest are the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Range. The diurnal temperature range is higher east of the Cascade crest, further inland from the Pacific Ocean. More precipitation falls west of the Cascade Mountains crest, and a strong rain shadow greatly reduces precipitation east of the crest. The southern portion of the Blue Mountains, including the Strawberry subrange, is in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains and is predominantly influenced by Great Basin climatic patterns, resulting in warmer and drier conditions. In the northern Blue Mountains, maritime air flows through the Columbia River Gorge, resulting in higher precipitation and more moderate temperature variations (Western Regional Climate Center 2015).
Parent Publication
Keywords
climate change,
hydrology,
climatic patterns,
diurnal temperature range,
precipitation
Citation
Clifton, Caty F.; Day, Kate T.; Dello, Kathie; Grant, Gordon E.; Halofsky, Jessica E.; Isaak, Daniel J.; Luce, Charles H.; Safeeq, Mohammad; Staab, Brian P.; Stevenson, John. 2017. Climate change and hydrology in the Blue Mountains Chapter 3 . In: Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L., eds. Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Blue Mountains. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-939. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. p. 25-52.
