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Forested Vegetation Forested Vegetation - Ecological Context Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Forested Vegetation - Ecological Context CLIMATE The following climate synopsis was derived from previous climate summaries published in the following sources: 1) Hoffman and Alexander (1976), 2) Despain (1973), 3) Girard et al. (1997) and 4) Nesser (1986). The web was also used to extract current on-line data from selected weather stations within or near Section M331b. Climate influences on the Bighorn Mountains were emphasized in this summary. The Bighorn Mountains are strongly influenced by the Absaroka Range of the Rocky Mountains, which lie 75 miles (121 km) to the west. Between the Absaroka Range and the west-flank of the Bighorn Mountains lies the Bighorn Basin – a temperate desert receiving about 7 inches (18 cm) of annual precipitation. Any westerly winds are downslope and, therefore, very dry. The Pryor Mountains to the northwest and the Owl Creek Mountains to the southwest keep moisture-laden winds from reaching the west flank of the Bighorn Mountains (Figure A-1). Consequently, the western side of the Bighorn Mountains generally receives less precipitation than the eastern side. Figure A-1. Terrain view of the Bighorn Mountains vicinity. Rainfall on the west slope comes primarily from regional weather patterns that produce airflow from the north or northwest. This allows moisture-laden air to enter the Bighorn Basin through the gap between the Pryor Mountains and the Beartooth portion of the Absaroka Ecological Context 6-51 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Range. The air then releases its moisture as it rises over the Bighorn Mountains. As one would expect, annual precipitation generally increases in the Bighorn Mountains with increasing elevation. Figure A-2 shows generalized maps of mean annual precipitation and air temperature for Section M331B and the surrounding vicinity. \ Figure A-2. Mean annual precipitation and air temperature for Section M331B and the surrounding vicinity (source: http://www.ocs.orst.edu/prism/prism_new.html). The east slope of the Bighorn Mountains receives moisture from easterly winds coming from the prairies. The Powder River lies to the east of the Bighorn Mountains and receives approximately 11 to 15 inches (28 to 38 cm) of annual precipitation. The major storm tracks are to the north and produce winds mostly from the northeast, yielding higher precipitation on the northeast section of the Bighorn Mountains and intensifying the rain shadow effect southeast of Cloud Peak. The source of precipitation is from the prairies to the north and east, although the source of storm cells is originally from the Pacific Ocean. In the winter, cold air masses from Canada bring strong northerly and northwesterly winds, low temperatures, and snow. Warm winds from the west and southwest often follow the passage of these fronts and moderate the weather. Upslope conditions that cause precipitation occur frequently in winter and spring on the eastern side of the Bighorn Mountains. In summer, local thunderstorms that move in a northeasterly direction occur in the mountains. Tornados have occurred in scattered locations according to Nesser (1986). In the Bighorn Mountains, mean annual precipitation varies from about 15 inches (38 cm) in the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest zone to about 25 inches (64 cm) in the Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forest zone. The higher peaks receive as much as 40 inches (102 cm) of precipitation (Hoffman and Alexander 1976). At the higher elevations, precipitation is more equally distributed throughout the year, Ecological Context 6-52 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation but a higher proportion falls as snow. At lower elevations, most precipitation falls as rain during the months of April through September. There are several weather stations within or surrounding the Bighorn Mountains. Stations at Shell, Burgess Junction, and Dayton bisect the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains. The Burgess Junction station is the only one actually on the Bighorn National Forest. Stations at Thermopolis, Ten Sleep, Billy Creek, and Buffalo form a southern line across the Section (Figure A-3). Figure A-3. Selected Wyoming weather stations within or near Section M331B. Ecological Context 6-53 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Wyoming weather station data are available on-line from the web at: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmwy.html and they were used to provide the monthly average precipitation and temperature summaries shown in Figure A-4. Shell Weather Station 1958 - 2000 Shell Weather Station 1958 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 100 8 80 6 60 4 40 2 20 (in.) Total Degrees (F) 0 0 Jul Jul Jan Mar Sep Nov Jan Jun Oct May Feb Mar Apr Sep Nov Dec May Aug Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total Snow Fall (in.) Burgess Junction Weather Stn. 1960 - 2000 Burgess Junction Weather Stn. 1960 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 80 50 60 40 30 40 20 20 Total (in.) 10 Degrees (F) 0 0 Jul Jul Jan Mar Sep Nov Jan May Mar Sep Nov May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Snow Depth (in.) Dayton Weather Stn. 1948 - 2000 Dayton Weather Stn. 1951 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 1 15 0.8 10 0.6 0.4 5 0.2 Total (in.) Degrees (F) 0 0 Jul Jul Jan Jan Mar Mar Sep Nov Sep Nov May May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total Snow Fall (in.) Ecological Context 6-54 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Figure A-4. Mean monthly temperature and precipitation summaries from selected Wyoming weather stations within or near Section M331B (source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmwy.html). Thermopolis Weather Stn. 1948 - 2000 Thermopolis Weather Stn. 1948 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 100 6 80 60 4 40 2 20 Total (in.) Degrees (F) 0 0 Jul Jul Jan Mar Jan Sep Nov Mar May Sep Nov May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total Snow Fall (in.) Ten Sleep Weather Stn. 1955 - 2000 Ten Sleep Weather Stn. 1955 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 100 15 10 50 5 0 Total (in.) 0 Degrees (F) Jul Jan Mar Sep Nov Jul -50 May Jan Mar Sep Nov May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total SnowFall (in.) Billy Creek Weather Stn. 1962 - 2000 Billy Creek Weather Stn. 1962 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 100 8 80 6 60 4 40 2 20 (in.) Total Degrees (F) Degrees 0 0 Jul Jul Jan Jan Mar Mar Sep Nov Sep Nov May May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total Snow Fall (in.) Ecological Context 6-55 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Buffalo Weather Stn. 1948 - 2000 Buffalo Weather Stn. 1948 - 2000 Temperature Precipitation 100 8 80 6 60 4 40 2 20 Total (in.) Degrees (F) Degrees 0 0 Jul Jan Mar Sep Nov Jul May Jan Mar Sep Nov May Month Month Average Max. Temperature (F) Average Total Precipitation (in.) Average Min. Temperature (F) Average Total Snow Fall (in.) Figure A-4 (continued). Mean monthly temperature and precipitation summaries from selected Wyoming weather stations within or near Section M331B (source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmwy.html). The mean maximum temperature at Burgess Junction is 69.5º F (21º C) in July and 5º F (-15º C) in January (Figure A-4). Nesser (1986) mentioned extremes of –42º F (-41º C) and 99º F (37º C) recorded at the Hunter Ranger Station -- 12 miles (19 km) west of Buffalo, Wyoming at 7,300 feet (2,225 meters). The weather station data shown in Figure A-4 appear to reveal two peaks of precipitation; one in the spring, and then a smaller peak in the fall. Mean total monthly snowfall appears to show a pattern depending on whether one is west or east of the Bighorn Mountains as follows: the Dayton and Buffalo stations have the highest average total monthly snowfall in December; the Burgess Junction and Billy Creek stations peak in April; and the Shell and Ten Sleep stations peak in January. The distribution of precipitation appears to become more uniform at higher elevations (see Burgess Junction station in Figure A-4). An annual climate summary was constructed from the monthly weather data, including mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and mean annual snowfall (Figures A-5 and A-6). The Thermopolis and Burgess Junction stations, on average, are the warmest and coldest locations, respectively (Figure A-5). Ecological Context 6-56 Chapter 6 Forestwide Assessment Forested Vegetation Average Max. Temperature Average Min. Temperature (Mean Annual) (Mean Annual) 70 35 SHELL, WYOM ING 60 (488124) 30 SHELL, WYOM ING BURGESS JUNCTION, (488124) 50 WYOM ING (481220) 25 BURGESS JUNCTION, DAYTON, WYOMING WYOMING (481220) 40 (482399) 20 DAYTON, WYOM ING THERM OPOLIS, (482399) WYOM ING (488875) THERM OPOLIS, 30 15 TEN SLEEP 16 SSE, WYOMING (488875) Degrees (F) Degrees (F) WYOM ING (488858) 10 TEN SLEEP 16 SSE, 20 BILLY CREEK, WYOMING (488858) WYOM ING (480740) 5 BILLY CREEK, 10 BUFFALO, WYOMING WYOMING (480740) (481165) 0 BUFFALO, WYOMING 0 (481165) Selected Wyoming Selected Wyoming Weather Stations Weather Stations Figure A-5. Average annual maximum and minimum temperatures at selected Wyoming weather stations (source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmwy.html). The Shell and Burgess Junction stations, on average, are the driest and wettest locations, respectively. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10.2 inches (26 cm) at the Shell Station to 21.3 inches (54 cm) at the Burgess Junction station. Mean annual snowfall is the highest at the Burgess Junction station (Figure A-6).
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