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CLIMATE INFORMATION <br /> PRECIPITATION: Colorado Springs is the most thunderstorm prone city west of the <br /> Mississippi River. Only Tampa, Florida exceeds Colorado Springs in the frequency and intensity of <br /> thunderstorms. Although such a reputation would not be something the Chamber of Commerce would <br /> brag about in a tourist brochure, this feature is highly relevant to land reclamation. <br /> Average precipitation patterns in Colorado Springs are highly distinctive when compared to <br /> other cities in the Front Range Urban Corridor. Whereas most cities have a peak precipitation period <br /> in May, Colorado Springs has a peak in May when everybody else is also wet and then another peak in <br /> July and August when everybody else often is suffering from summer drought. This same pattern is <br /> seen in Idaho Springs west of Denver and Estes Park to the northwest of Denver. Thus, Colorado <br /> Springs exhibits a precipitation pattern that is more like mountainous than prairie or mountain front <br /> locations. <br /> However, the mean annual precipitation is 13.9 inches which is very similar to most other areas <br /> in the Front Range Urban Corridor. Therefore, the winters are generally drier than they are elsewhere. <br /> Maximum annual precipitation is about 25 inches which is also similar to other cities in the region. <br /> The mean precipitation between April and September is about 12 inches which is about 1 inch greater <br /> than what most other cities receive on the average. <br /> A very notable characteristic of Colorado Springs is the frequency and intensity of ultra-severe <br /> thunderstorms. In the USGS professional paper 1019 (ClimatogrNhy of the Front Range Urban <br /> Corridor and Vicinity, Colorado) it states "Precipitation rates from some of these storms have been <br /> truly astonishing and have rarely been equaled, even by tropical hurricanes." On May 30, 1935, at <br /> Kiowa(northeast of Colorado Springs) 24 inches of rain fell between 5 AM and 6 PM and most of it <br /> fell between 1:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon. The same storm dropped 18 inches of rain on the Black <br /> Forest east of the current Air Force Academy. On June 17, 1965, Falcon, also northeast of Colorado <br /> Springs, received 14 inches of rain. <br /> However, all of these storms are associated with the Palmer Divide which is many miles north <br /> of this site. The largest storm ever recorded in the area of this site was about 8 inches of rain. <br /> Therefore, although the land north of Colorado Springs is subject to these ultra-severe thunderstorms, <br /> the city itself and the land south of the city has never received one of these storms in recorded history. <br /> It could happen, but it is extremely unlikely as this site is apparently several miles south of the land <br /> that is subject to the influence of the Palmer Divide and this landscape feature's incredible ability to <br /> produce such severe storms. <br /> Drought is not common in the Colorado Springs area, but when it does occur, it is often quite <br /> severe and can be much worse than even the High Plains northeast of Denver where drought is more <br /> common. <br /> Winter snow is among the lowest amounts in the Front Range Urban Corridor. At the airport <br /> the average is about 40 inches while Security, a few miles south of the airport, receives an average of <br /> only 29 inches of snow. Compare this to Denver's 59 inches of average snowfall and the difference is <br /> evident. However, even in winter the Palmer Divide exerts an influence. Monument located just south <br /> Daniels Sand Pit#2 Amendment (2008) Exhibit I Page 2 of 4 <br />