Hobbies And Interests
North Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre system of mountain ranges runs down the center of Mexico. The range on the west side of the high Mexican plateau is called the Sierra Madre Occidental, meaning "western mother mountains." A hot and dry desert climate dominates the northern isolated outcroppings of the mountain chain in southern Arizona and the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico. The arid region gets little annual rainfall in extremely hot summers and mild, dry winters.
South Sierra Madre Occidental
Unlike the misty cloud-forests of the eastern Sierra Madre Oriental mountains, the western Sierras receive little rainfall. Most rainfall occurs on the eastern Oriental slopes and the central plateau. By the time the moisture laden Gulf of Mexico warm air fronts reach the western Occidentals they're dried up. The rain shadow effect restricts rainfall in the entire Occidental range. Rainfall and temperatures change with elevation and latitude as the mountains approach the Equator. The climate varies between temperate, desert, sub-tropical, steppe and Mediterranean pocket regions.
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada mountains traverse much of California and overlap the western corner of Nevada. One of the West's major mountain ranges, the Sierras climate is highly varied. The southern tip of the range lies in the hot, dry climate zone of the Mojave Desert with very little precipitation. The eastern Sierra base and the western foothills have a hot-steppe climate with minimal rainfall and desert-like conditions. The warmest month averages 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cool and Cold Zones
The arctic-alpine climate zones at elevations above 12,000 feet experience severe winters and cool summers. From 6,000 to 12, 000 feet the climate is a boreal or cold microthermal climate with heavy snowfall in the winter. The coldest month averages 26.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are cool and dry with a few thunderstorms. The temperate Californian Mediterranean climate dominates most of the Sierras. Below 6,000 feet the mountains have warm, dry summers and cool to cold rainy winters. Rainfall occurs between October and April.