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• 2.1.1 General Climat The climate for northwest Colorado is classified as highland continental, and is characterized by low precipitation, a rather large daily temperature range, low humidity, moderate amounts of wind and abundant sunshine (Berry, 1966). The climate along the Yampa River Basin and its tributaries in MoEEat County, Colorado, is characteristic of the semi-arid steppe regions (Stearns-Roger, 1974), and has strong seasonal variations (U.S.D.A. Rural Electrification Administration, 1975). Synoptic winds are predominately from [he west but topographic features within this region exert significant influences on the pattern of surface wind move- ment (Stearns-Roger, 1974). The normal annual precipitation (recorded) for Craig, Colorado, the nearest _ community, approximates 13.5 inches. Over one-third of [hat amount falls in • the form of snow which is the principal source of stream-flow for the region (U.S.D.A. Rural Electrification Administration, 1975). East of Craig, both the normal annual precipitation total and the portion falling as snow increas- es. Wes[ of Craig, these amounts decrease. The mean annual temperature approximates 43°F with recorded extremes of plus 100°F and minus 45°F (Section 2.1.4). The average growing season for the Craig area was presented as 125 days (U.S.D.A. REA, 1975), but in fact is 77 days (Martin, 1980) according to the local agricultural extension office and Overton and Jones (1964). Snowfall is not extremely heavy, ranging from 33-77 inches and averaging 66.5 inches per year (Berry, 1966). The mountain ranges to the west and to [he east greatly modify the climate for [fie Craig vicinity. Therefore, it is not typical of other mid-latitude regions of the United States. Pacific maritime air reaching [he area has usu- ally to s[ most of its moisture. Similarly, [he moist air from [he Gulf Coast 2-4