Colorado State Water Plan 1974 (Phase I)

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General Description of the Environment about 3,500 feet in the southeastern part of the State to nearly 8, 500 feet where the Raton section butts against the mountains near the Colorado-New Mexico boundary. The extreme western and southwestern parts of Colorado fall within a large area known as the Colorado Plateaus Province. Many spectacular canyons are within this area, and for that reason, it is sometimes referred to as the Canyon Lands. Other features of the topography are high elevations, and the constituent plateaus are separated from each other by escarpments. In northwestern Colorado is a high-lying area whose surface is but slightly dissected by shallow water courses. The area is part of the Wyoming Basin which is really an intermountain plateau. Elevations are between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, and it is an area of gentle relief. The part of this basin that extends into Colorado is situated between the Uinta Mountains in the northwest corner and the Park Range Mountains to the east. CLIMATE Colorado has a continental type of climate due to its inland location, being characterized by wide ranges in temperatures and irregular annual and seasonal precipitation. The climate is temperate and is semiarid except in the high mountain areas where the precipitation averages more than 40-inches per year. Humidity is generally low which favors rapid evaporation. The thin atmosphere allows greater penetration of solar radiation and results in pleasant daytime conditions even during the winter. The climate of a particular area is profoundly affected by its elevation and to a lesser degree by the orientation of mountain ranges and valleys with respect to general air movements. These influences can cause wide variations in weather conditions within short distances. Usually, temperatures decrease and precip- itation increases with higher elevation, but the pattern is modified by the orientation of mountain slopes with respect to prevailing winds and by the effect of the topography on local air movement. The prevailing westerly winds dominate Colorado's weather, especially during the cool and cold seasons. As the warm season advances, the westerly winds lose much of their predominance, and air masses carrying considerable moisture push in from the Gulf of Mexico. This change in the flow of air masses accounts for the greater precipitation during the spring and early summer in the eastern and central parts of the State. 2.5