Laserfiche WebLink
6.4.11 EXHIBIT K -Climate <br />In Garfield County, summer is warm or hot in most valleys and much cooler in the <br />mountains. Winter is cold in the mountains. Valleys are colder than the lower parts of <br />adjacent mountains because of cold air drainage. Precipitation falls in the mountains <br />throughout the year, and a deep snowpack accumulates during winter. Snowmelt usually <br />supplies much more water than can be used for farming. <br />In valleys, precipitation in summer falls as showers; some thunderstorms occur. In winter <br />the ground is covered with snow much of the time. Chinook winds, which blow <br />downslope and are warm and dry, often melt and evaporate the snow. <br />Table I gives data on temperature and precipitation in the survey area, as recorded at <br />Rifle, from 1951 to 1974. <br />In winter the average temperature is 25.5 degrees F, and the average daily low is 12.0 <br />degrees F. In summer the average temperature is 67.3 degrees, and the average daily <br />high is 86.6 degrees. <br />Of the total annual precipitation 5.69 inches, or 51 percent, usually falls from April to <br />September, which includes the growing season for most crops. <br />Average seasonal snowfall is 50 inches. On the average, 24 days each year have at <br />least one inch of snow on the ground, but the number of days varies greatly from year to <br />year. <br />Source: NRCS, Climatological data for the Rifle monitoring station for the period 1951 <br />through 1974. <br />