Transcript California Climate & Local Weather Patterns Ch. 11

Objective: To know that California’s climate is
primarily Mediterranean and Highland.

Areas of Ca with a
Mediterranean
climate experience
mild, rainy winters
and hot, dry
summers.

High altitudes in CA
experience a
highland climate.
Temperatures in
these regions are
lower and rain is
greater.


Coastal Fog: When
warm, moist air
crosses over cold
water in the Ca
Current, the
moisture cools to
the dew point &
condenses to
coastal fog.
-Fog drip is moisture that
condenses on plant, then drips
onto the ground.

Valley Fog: also
known as ground
fog, forms during
late fall and winter
when moisture in
the air is cooled to
the dew point by
the cold ground
below.


1. Prevailing winds
carry warm air over
oceans, where it
gains moisture in the
form of water vapor.
2. As the air
approaches
mountains, it rises,
cools, & condenses.
Precipitation falls in
the form of rain or
snow.


3. The now-dry air
passes over the
mountains. As it
sinks, it becomes
warm.
4. Dry, hot weather
exists on the
downwind slope part
of the mountain.

Sea Breezes: A wind
that blows from the
sea to the land.
◦ During the day, cool
ocean air moves
toward lower
pressure over land.
◦ Air warmed over land
rises, creating an
area of low pressure.

Land Breezes: A
wind that blows
from the land to the
sea.
◦ At night, the ocean
cools more slowly
than the land.
◦ Cool air sinks over
the land, creating an
area of high
pressure.
•
•
Valley Breezes: Blow
upward from the valley
along the mountain
slopes. Occur during the
daytime.
Mountain Breezes: Flow
downward from the
mountains. Occur at
night in wide valleys that
were exposed to the sun
during the day. After
sunset, air along the
exposed mountain slopes
cools more rapidly than
the air in the valleys.
•
Both of these breezes are
considered convection
currents. Because they
are formed ad the land
heats up and cools down.
They form a circular
current in which warm air
rises and cold air sinks,
transferring heat.

In southern Ca hot,
dry winds that blow
from the east or
northeast and
continue toward the
coast are called
Santa Ana winds.
◦ Blows from the
Mojave Desert into
Los Angeles Basin
and San Fernando
Valley.