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• 3.7 CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION <br />Both the mine and loadout sites are located in the Grand Junction <br />Division of the Colorado River Basin. The high mountain ranges that <br />rim the Grand Junction Division on the north, east, and most of the <br />south act as partial barriers to approaching moist air masses. The <br />west side is lower, and Pacific air masses enter the area from that <br />direction. The western part of the south side is relatively low and <br />air masses from the Gulf of Mexico are permitted to enter the western <br />part. <br />Precipitation during the period from October through April is more <br />affective in producing runoff than precipitation in the summer months. <br />During the period from October through April, most of the precipita- <br />tion, particularly in the high mountains, occurs as snow. Air masses <br />from the Pacific Ocean are characteristic of the winter months. Air <br />masses from the Gulf of Mexico are characteristic of the summer <br />• months, with precipitation usually occurring as thunderstorms. <br />Area meteorology is very site specific, being dependent, to a large <br />extent, on elevation and local terrain features. Site-specific data <br />for the mine and loadout sites are not available at this time. <br />However, the following tables present data from National Weather <br />Service stations at Glenwood Springs and Redstone, which are represen- <br />tative of the loadout and mine sites, respectively. The Glenwood <br />Springs station is approximately twelve miles northwest of the loadout <br />site at an elevation of 5823 ft. The Redstone station is approxima- <br />tely ten miles south of the mine site at an elevation of 8065 ft. <br />Distances and elevation differences are small enough that temperature <br />and precipitation conditions should be similar. <br />•' <br />3-96 <br />