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Most
of our moisture comes from water evaporating from the Pacific Ocean.
As this
moist air moves into the area, it encounters the mountain barrier
to our
southwest
and is forced to move upward along the western slopes
of the
Olympic Mountains. As the
air moves upward, it begins to cool and
condense, forming clouds. As it
continues to rise, the moisture condenses
even more until precipitation begins
to fall. By
the time the air reaches
the top of the mountains, much of the moisture has
already been squeezed
out of it, before it ever begins its descent into the
San
Juan Islands .
That's the reason there are vast rain forests on the southwestern
side of the
Olympics. They receive over 200 inches of rain a year.
To add
to this effect, as the air moves down the North Eastern side
of the
Olympic Mountains, it
warms up and dries out even more .
By the time this air
reaches the San Juan Islands, it is usually
so warm
and dry that we seldom get the rain
and snow that our neighbors to the
southwest
enjoy, leaving us in the Rain Shadow.
The
Olympic Mountains cover a relatively small
area
so
there is only a small area that gets the better weather. |
