How Do Mountains Affect the Weather?

Mountains can make it rain or dry out the air. When warm, wet air hits a mountain, it pushes up and cools down, making clouds and rain on one side. On the other side, the air is dry and makes deserts. It’s like when you push a balloon, one side gets full, the other gets empty.

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Examples

When you walk up a hill on a hot day and it starts raining behind you, that's like a little mountain making weather.
A mountain can turn one valley into a lush forest and another into a dry desert, all from the same rain cloud.
You may live in a place with rainy winters because there’s a mountain just north of you, blocking the wind.

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Categories: Environment · weather,mountains,climate