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<br />f ~ >" ".., <br />il.Ll.':" <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />17. CLIMATOLOGY.- Wide variations of climate occur in the Arkansas <br />Basin above Pueblo damsite. In the mountainous regions of the hea~waters <br />precipitation' varies widely over relatively ,short distances. It varies <br />from 10 inches annually in some locations to, 40 inches annually over <br />limited areas. Much of the total precipitat~on at the higher elevations <br />is in the form of snow. Runoff from snowmel!t constitutes a dependable <br />water supply for municipal, irrigation, ind~strial, and other uses~ In <br />the plains region most of the precipitation lis in the form of rainfall. <br />At times, occurrences in the form of violent' cloudbursts cause flash <br />floods of short durations and small. volumes but of damaging intensities. <br />,More than 80 percent of the average annual precipitation on the plains <br />occurs during the period April through October. <br /> <br />18. Annual precipitation normals within the watershed vary from <br />24.27 inches at Lake Moraine t09.69"-inches iat Buena, Vista. During <br />the six-month period, April throughSeptembl\r, Lake Moraine gets 76 per- <br />cent of the annual normal, and Buena Vista ~ets 68 percent. The maximum <br />rainfall months are May and July,throl~hout most of the basin~ ThUnder- <br />storm ~ctivity is greatest in July witk an average of 13 days at Pueblo. <br />A maximum 24-hour, or maximum observed.~,.day precipitation of 6.10 inches <br />occurred at Rye, Colo., in May 1955. ,The June 1965 storm produced a <br />maximum 24-hour precipitation amount of 11.08 inches at Holly, Colo. <br /> <br />..k).. <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />19. Mean annual snowfall amounts vary ffrom 146 inches at Lake <br />Moraine to 33 inches at Canon City. Pueblo ]Weather Bureau Airport has <br />had a maximum monthly snowfall of 29.3 inch~s, and a maximum 24-hoUr <br />amount of 16.8 inches. Monthly and annual precipitation normals for <br />representative weather stations in and. adjoining the Arkansas water: <br />shed above John Martin Dam are tabulated in;table 1. Locations of <br />weather stations are shown on plate 2. <br /> <br />\.-- <br />I <br /> <br />, ' <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />20. There is a wide variation of temp~ratures in the Arkansas <br />Basin above the Pueblo damsite. This is du~ principally to the v~ria- <br />tion in altitude. Leadville, at elevation ~O,177 feet, has a mean annual <br />maximum and minimum of 50.7 and 21.9 degree~. respectively; whereas <br />Pueblo at elevation 4,700 feet has a mean' annual maximum and minimum of <br />68.0 and 37.3 degrees, respectively. Extreme temperatures have ranged <br />from 105 degrees at Pueblo to a-54 degrees at Westcliffe, elevation <br />7,860 feet. The average last spring occurrence of 32 degrees varies <br />from 28 April at Pueblo Weather Bureau Airp~rt to 24 June at Lake Moraine. <br />The average, first fall occurrence of frost ~t the same locations are <br />12 October and 23 August. 'I <br /> <br />, v' <br /> <br />, <br />21. Relative humidity records are'available for'only one station <br />in the vicinity of the Pueblo project. The 'Pueblo Weather BureauiAir- <br />port record shows average relative humidities at 5:00 a.m., ll:OO.a.m., <br />5:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. to be 65, 38, 41, and 61 percent, respec;tively. <br /> <br />.--...... <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />-;.,-/~: <br />1-,''''; <br />, <br />.. ~';"l <br />~ I ......_ <br />. ' <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />-- <br />