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~~~~~ ~~~~~~~0®~~~~~ ®~~~ <br />= AnnualcSummary With Comparative Data <br />1976 <br />~ COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO <br />Narrative Climatological Summary <br />ENi OF C'0 <br />~. <br />.., <br />-s~+-, <br />%~ ~ ~e~ <br />.~ <br />~SrAres of a <br />At an elevation near 6,200 feet m.s.l., Colorado Springs is located in relatively flat <br />semi-arid country on the eastern slope of [he Rocky Mountains. Immediately to the <br />west the mountains rise abruptly to heights ranging from 10,000 to 14,000 feet but <br />generally averaging near 11,000 feet. To the east lie gently undulating prairie <br />lands. The land slopes upward to the north, reaching an average height of about 8,000 <br />feet in 20 miles at the top of Palmer Lake Divide. <br />Colorado Springs is in the Arkansas River drainage basin. The principal tributary <br />feeding the Arkansas from this area is Fountain Creek, which rises in the high moun- <br />tains west of the City and is fed by Monument Creek originating to the north in the <br />Palmer Lake Divide area. <br />Other topographical features of the area, and particularly its wide range of eleva- <br />tions, help to give Colorado Springs the various and altogether delightful plains-and- <br />mountain mixture of climate that has established the locality as a highly desirable <br />and healthful place to live. The "Means and Extremes" record table, pinpointing <br />records for the City itself, necessarily omits interesting essentials about the gen- <br />eral locality of which the City is the center. For example: The temperature dif- <br />ference between the City and the summit of Pikes Peak, 12 airline miles away, is about <br />the same as the difference between Colorado Springs and Iceland; precipitation amounts <br />at higher elevations in the Colorado Springs neighborhood are approximately twice <br />those at nearby lower elevations and the number of rainy days almost triple. <br />In Colorado Springs itself, precipitation is relatively light and over 80 percent of <br />it falls between April 1 and September 30 - much of it as heavy downpours accompanying <br />summer thunderstorms. Temperatures, in view of the station's latitude and elevation, <br />are mild. 'Uncomfortable extremes, in either surtuuer or winter, are comparatively rare. <br />Relative humidity is normally law and wind movement moderately high. This is notably <br />true of. the west-to-east movement of the chinook winds, so important in moderating <br />winter temperatures and reminding white men that the Indian meaning of "chinook" is <br />"snow eater." <br />Colorado Springs is best known as a resort city, but the surrounding prairie is also <br />important for cattle raising and a considerable amount of grazing land is used for <br />sheep in the summer months. The growing season varies considerably in length, from a <br />recorded shortest of 110 days to a longest of 194 days. The average is 149 days, from <br />about I•tay 8 to about October 4. <br />~J <br />~0~1.1 AAP^IOSPyER{CFAD~dIN15T RATION/DATA SOE RR VE CEAL/ AS EI VOILLE NCIMATIC CENTER <br />