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<br />. <br /> <br />Climatology and Meteorology <br /> <br />Because of the diversified topography of the South Platte <br /> <br /> <br />River basin, there is a remarkable variety of climates occurring <br /> <br /> <br />between the plains and foothills regions, and the mountain and <br /> <br /> <br />valley regions. These differences are discussed below. <br /> <br />PLAINS IVID FOOTHILLS <br /> <br />The climate of the plains is distinctly continental. <br /> <br /> <br />Situated a long distance from any moisture source, and separated <br /> <br /> <br />from the Pacific source by a high mountain barrier, the plains <br /> <br /> <br />area experiences light rainfall, low relative humidity, a large <br /> <br /> <br />daily range in temperature, high daytime temperatures in summer, <br /> <br /> <br />a few extended cold spells in winter, moderately high wind move- <br /> <br /> <br />ment, and a large amount of clear sunshine. The annual mean <br /> <br /> <br />temperatures for the area range from 47 to 50 degrees. Temperatures <br /> <br /> <br />of 100 degrees or over have been observed at all stations, and <br /> <br /> <br />daytime temperatures of 95 degrees or higher are common. In the <br /> <br /> <br />foothills temperatures as high as 100 degrees are rare as summer <br /> <br /> <br />afternoon temperatures are frequently lowered by afternoon cloudi- <br /> <br /> <br />ness and thunderstorms over and near the mountains. Invasion of <br /> <br /> <br />cold air from the north, intensified by the altitude, can be abrupt <br /> <br /> <br />and severe. On the other hand, many of the cold air masses that <br /> <br /> <br />spread southward out of Canada over the Northern Great Plains are <br /> <br /> <br />too shallow to reach the relatively high altitude in the area and <br /> <br /> <br />move off over the lower plains to the east. The lowest temperatures <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />8 <br />