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<br />2.0 GENERAL FEATURES--Continued <br />2.2 Precipitation <br /> <br />PRECIPITATION IS VARIABLE IN THE AREA <br /> <br />Twenty-two inches of annual precipitation occurs in the eastern <br />mountainous part of the basin and only about 7 inches occurs <br />in the western semiarid part. <br /> <br />Average annual precipitation in the White River basin generally increases <br />with elevation and ranges from about 7 inches in the west to about 22 inches <br />in the east (fig. 2.2-1) (National Climatic Data Center, 1982). Monthly <br />graphs of precipitation at four stations are shown to illustrate the west-to- <br />east change. These extremes in precipitation result from the variation in <br />elevation and the aspect of slopes for the area. The confluence of the White <br />River and the Green River is at an elevation of only about 4,900 feet above <br />sea level; however, the eastern boundary of the basin reaches elevations of <br />more than 12,000 feet above sea level. <br /> <br />Precipitation in the basin consists primarily of snowfall in the winter <br />months and thunderstorms in the summer months. Melting of accumulated <br />snowfall, principally in the higher elevations, provides the main source of <br />streamflow. The summer thunderstorms can occur as cloud bursts with intense, <br />but short-duration precipitation, providing small quantities of runoff to <br />sustain streamflow in the area. <br /> <br />10 <br />