Dichotomy in the Desert
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| Lightning over Vegas (1) |
Southern Nevada, and pretty much all of Nevada sits in a
gigantic rain shadow. The massive Sierra Nevada Mountain Range sucks up a
majority of the moisture coming in to Nevada. The precipitation that is allowed
in Southern Nevada is mostly dispersed on the high mountain ranges that run north-south.
This dichotomy can be seen in average precipitation; Mount Charleston receives around
24 inches a year. Snowfall at the ski resort averages “99.5 inches”. (2) Whereas
just fifty miles away in Vegas the “Average annual precipitation - rainfall:
4.17 inch”.(3) Cloudbursts can occur in the Vegas Valley; and these storms can accumulate in an hour as much rain that it would take a whole year to acquire. One can ski in the morning time at 11000 feet, and then walk down the strip without a jacket.
Summers are very long with short mild winters. “Las Vegas,
Nevada has a subtropical desert / low-latitude arid hot climate (Köppen-Geiger
classification: BWh)”. (4) BWh is also the rating of the Mojave desert in
which Vegas lies. The isogeotherm ranges in the mid-sixties. Throughout the
year the temperatures range from 120 to 30 degrees. The climate is extremely
dry and humidity very low. This is a perfect place to use a swamp cooler. The
extreme variations in temperature may seem unbearable but without the humidity plus
a cold beer one can adjust.
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| Climograph of Las Vegas averages. (3) |
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| Sunset over Mount Potosi. Cumulus clouds refract the sunlight in a gorgeous manner. (5) |
References
4.http://www.las-vegas.climatemps.com/
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