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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 6.3 elimatology 6.3.1 General Because of the rugged topography and unique weather patterns which characterize eolorado's Western Slope, large variations in climatology can occur over short distances. Therefore, the ability to predict and evaluate climatic conditions for a specific locality is difficult. In general, the climate at the project site is characterized with a continental climate. Within this climatic zone there is a wide variation in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally. Figure 6.2 illustrates the seasonal variation in mean temperature for the project site. The seasonal variation in project site temperature was derived from available weather station data, and extrapolated to the project site using an aerial distance weighting factor in conjunction with an elevation- temperature adjustment using the mean adiabatic lapse rate. 6.3.2 Precipitation The project site lies in a semi-arid climatic setting. The average annual precipitation at the project site is estimated at 12.3 inches. The average monthly precipitation at the project site is shown in Figure 6.3. Precipitation estimates for the project site were produced from up to 40 years of precipitation data gathered by weather stations operated by the Soil eonservation Service and the National Weather Service. Precipitation data was corrected for aerial distance and elevation differences between the project site and nearby weather stations to yield an estimate of the mean, project site precipitation. 6.3.3 Storm Events Direct Precipitation at the project site for various storm events, as a function of recurrence interval and duration is tabulated in Table 6.1. TABLE 6.1 STORM EVENTS Precipitation (inches) Recurrence StOrpl Duration Interval (Years) 6 Hours 24 Hours 2 1 1.4 5 1.2 1.7 10 . 1.4 2.0 25 1.6 2.4 6