Measuring 700 miles long, this is found south of Arizona, dividing mainland Mexico from Baja California. It provides a powerful moderating influence on Washington, Oregon, and especially California, where it tempers summer heat along the coast. This is because a large cold current originates from Alaska and flows down the coast all the way to Mexico year-round. If you’ve ever jumped into the water at a California beach, you know the water is rather cold. This produces powerful thermals that aggregate into convective updrafts. Due to the rock’s low specific heat, this radiation is put back into the atmosphere as heat through conduction. Incoming sunlight overwhelmingly hits rock and sand, which effectively absorbs solar radiation. This includes not only the Sonoran and Mojave deserts but the Great Basin Desert further north in Nevada and Utah. So let’s outline the important players.įirst is the vast desert region itself, devoid of much tree cover. Tall mountains, cold ocean currents, and hot deserts are all strong influences on the weather, and must be factored with the basic weather patterns themselves. Weather in the western states is heavily shaped by the effects of land and ocean. And the effects of climate change have also brought with it some new flying problems which we’ll discuss later. Forecast models have always had difficulty factoring in these effects. The landscape and nearby oceans complicate the forecast picture, so when things go downhill, things can get quite difficult. Most likely you’ve also done some cross-country trips in those areas and had no problems.īut this area is not without its hazards and peculiarities. This is partly why the military has its air combat training centers in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Without a doubt, the western United States offers the best VFR flying in the nation.
Southwest monsoon storms like this can pop up on the California-Nevada state line.