There is a lot
more to desert weather than just heat and sunshine. Each of our deserts has
its own distinct climate. One characteristic of all our deserts is the dramatic
daily temperature extremes; there is often a difference of 50° F or more
between day and night.
Winds may also be quite strong in the desert and may gust well over 40 mph during any part of the year. This may provide problems with visibility. Blowing sand can cause near whiteout conditions due to reduced visibility. Always exercise caution when in a sandstorm and turn on lights and slow your vehicle down. Dust Devils or whirlwinds are common throughout the desert.
The Colorado
Desert in the lower elevations of southern California has hot, dry summers.
The mild winters bring most of the rain.
The Mojave has
hot summers and cold winters. Rain here falls mostly in the winter, though
summer thunderstorms provide up to a third of the year's rainfall. Death Valley
is the Mojave's hot spot, with summer days often a blistering 120° F or
more. (The record here is a toasty 134° F!). It is also the dry spot,
averaging less that 2 inches of rain a year in the low valley.
The Great Basin
Desert, sitting at higher elevations than the others, has very cold winters.
The scant precipitation falls throughout the year, with snow in winter and
rain in summer.
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