![]() Where canyons and valleys are narrow, they can funnel the winds some winds have reached speeds as high as 93 miles per hour (150 km/hr). Similar to daytime flow, it forces the air to move horizontally, which then allows the airflow to complete the cycle in a cell. This upward movement is usually stopped by the temperature inversion. It converges on the valley floor and forces the air to move vertically upward. (Nature's Images)įlow downhill, causing a mountain breeze. A gentle wind blowing up a valley or mountain slope in the absence of cyclonic or anticyclonic winds, caused by the warming of the mountainside and valley. Vegetation on this side is drier and scarcer. The leeward side of a slope in an orographic wind flow pattern receives little moisture from an air mass being pushed up and over a mountain barrier. As it cools, the air becomes denser and begins to The air along the mountain slopes cools quickly. ![]() Oftentimes, this cycle of air will develop cumuliform clouds at the mountain peaks.ĭuring the night, the opposite happens. Like the other local systems illustrated in this chapter, it creates a self-contained circulation system. ![]() Once the rising air pushes against the inversion, it moves horizontally toward the center of the valley, and drops toward the valley floor. The vertical rise of the air along the sides of the mountain is restricted by a temperature inversion layer, confining the airflow to the valley (not letting the rising air escape into the atmosphere). When the air heats, it becomes less dense and more buoyant, allowing it to start flowing up the valley sides. During the day, as the Sun heats up the land and air at the valley bottom and sides, a valley breeze develops. Mountain- valley breezes are common in areas with significant topographic relief.
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