How Do Mountains Influence Weather Patterns?

Mountains change the weather by pushing air up, like a big ramp for clouds. When warm air hits a mountain, it rises, cools down, and makes rain or snow on one side, and then dries out the other side.

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Examples

Mountains act like fans, blowing clouds up into the sky, one side gets rain, and the other side is left dry.
Orographic lift makes a mountain range feel like a giant water filter: it takes moisture from the windward side and leaves it behind on the leeward side.
A mountain range can turn a wet, green valley into a dry desert, just by being there.

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Categories: Science · mountains,weather patterns,climatology