Laserfiche WebLink
Data gathered by the U . S . D . A . Soil Conserva- <br /> tion Service on McClure Pass , which is south of the Coal <br /> Basin on the Crystal River drainage, indicate substantial <br /> snow depths from January through May at the 9, 500 ' elevation, <br /> with the greatest depths in February, March and April . <br /> Specifically, the average depths recorded from 1971 through <br /> 1979 include: 37 . 6" in February; 40 . 1" in March; 42 . 5" in <br /> April ; 26 . 9" in May (See Table III-F-2) . <br /> C . Wind, <br /> Winds at the 10, 000 ' level are predominantly <br /> from the west-southwest, although, as noted in the ES , <br /> signification variations can occur at higher elevations <br /> because of channeling by mountain ridges and deflection by <br /> • mountain peaks . <br /> Annual wind speeds are generally greater for <br /> the higher elevations because of more exposure to the strong, <br /> large-scale wind patterns . Seasonal average wind speeds at <br /> high elevations are greatest during the winter and spring , <br /> when the large-scale circulation is strongest , and least <br /> during the summer . <br /> d . Temperature <br /> According to the ES , mean annual temperatures <br /> for observation stations with available data in west-central <br /> Colorado range from 54 . 10 Farenheit at Palisade in the Grand <br /> Valley, to 32 .80 Farenheit at Taylor Park, near the Continental <br /> • Divide . Most of the high mountains (elevations above 12 , 000 <br /> feet) have mean annual temperatures below 300 Farenheit . <br /> -9- <br />