Question:

When moist air is forced upward when blown over mountains

Last updated: 9/8/2023

When moist air is forced upward when blown over mountains

When moist air is forced upward when blown over mountains what happens low pressure areas over the ocean cause a pressure gradient that draws warm dry air outwards in a clockwise spiral from the high pressure center this dry airmass sweeps across the deserts of eastern toward the coast the winds are known as Santa Ana winds at higher altitudes the surface air is colder but higher in oxygen while the air at the bottom is warmer denser and higher in nutrients as the higher air warms it becomes denser and sinks forcing the air at the bottom to rise this is called turnover it piles up against the highest peaks of the mountains when enough pressure builds up it suddenly spills over the mountains acting much like a damn bursting causing torrential rain on the other side of the mountain this is called a temperature inversion it cools and loses its ability to hold water producing rain on the near side of the mountains the remaining dry air blows to the other side creating a rain shadow on the far side of the mountains