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<br />MAY 1982 <br /> <br />Average annual precipi tat ion ranges from less than 10 inches in the <br /> <br />southwestern corner of the area to about 20 inches in the northeast. <br /> <br />Precipitation varies considerably from year to year but on the average June <br /> <br />is the driest part of the year and July through October is the wettest. <br /> <br />Afternoon showers commonly occur during July through mid-September <br /> <br />occasionally reaching thunderstorm intensity. Damaging storms and other <br /> <br />severe weather conditions are infrequent. <br /> <br />Typically clear skies and high solar radiation, combined with the <br /> <br />elevation of the area, result in warm days and cool nights during the <br /> <br />spring, summer, and fall. The days also are comfortably warm during the <br /> <br />,winter but the nights are cold. Maximum daytime temperatures vary from <br /> <br />about 32-400F. in January to 80-900F. in July, with corresponding nighttime <br /> <br />minimums ranging from nearly OOr. to around SOor. Temperatures of over <br /> <br />1000F. have been recorded twice in Cortez, and extreme low temperatures have <br /> <br />dropped below -2Sor. The frost-free period varies between 130 to 140 days <br /> <br />in the Montezuma Valley. <br /> <br />Water Resources <br /> <br />The Dolores River, originating in the La Plata and San Miguel Mountains <br /> <br />to the northeast and flowing along the northeastern edge of the Montezuma <br /> <br />Valley, is the major source of water diverted into and used in the area. <br /> <br />Tributaries of the San Juan River drain the area. <br /> <br />1II-7 <br /> <br />001843 <br />