|
The Great Plains were described by the early explorers and settlers as the "Great American Desert". The area gets little precipitation (rain or snow), and water is hard to find. This is because the mountains collect so much rain and snow from the clouds that they create a large shadow where very little rain falls on the much of the lower plains on the eastern side of the mountains. This is called a rain shadow. In general most of the rain and snow falls on the higher parts of the western and central parts of the mountains, leaving the shortgrass plains on the eastern side of the state dry. There is a diagram of this at the bottom of the page.
Wind blows strongly over the plains most of the year. Sometimes large storm systems will circulate around or travel south down the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains and dump lots of rain and snow along the eastern foothills and parts of the shorgrass plains. So, when it does rain or snow, it is often in the form of large thunderstorms or blizzards. The dangers of the storms include lightning, hail, wind, dust clouds, large snow drifts, and possible tornadoes.
The summer temperatures can rise above 100 degrees F. It is difficult to escape out of the sun in the open grassland. The winters can fall well below zero degrees F. There is little shelter from the cold or hot wind. Before the invention of interstate highways and automobiles, it was a large and difficult place to cross and settle for early Native Americans and explorers.
|