Product Description
Alvord Desert Rainbow Photographic Canvas Prints
Alvord Desert Rainbow Photographic Canvas Prints
The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a 12-by-7-mile dry lake bed and averages 7 inches (180 mm) of rain a year. Two mountain ranges separate it from the Pacific Ocean the Coast Range, and the Cascade Mountains. Along with Steens Mountain, these topographical features create a rain shadow. The Alvord Desert lies at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet (1,200 m). During the dry season, the surface is flat enough to drive across, or land small aircraft on. An unofficial women's world land speed record was set in 1976 on the Alvord Desert by Kitty O'Neil at 512 miles/hour (843 km/hour). The nearest community is Fields, Oregon, population 86. The Alvord Desert is classified as a cold semi-arid desert (BSk) under the Koppen climate classification. The desert receives very little rainfall throughout the year. Some eastern areas of the desert may receive as little as 5 inches (130 mm) of rain annually. The desert lies within a rain shadow created by the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges as well the adjacent Steens Mountain. The basin sees a moderate amount of its rainfall in the winter months from storms coming off the Pacific Ocean while the strong winter jet stream is aimed at the Pacific Northwest. Storms that are strong enough to bring moisture to the Southeastern area of Oregon are usually related to tropical storms feeding from the Hawaiian Islands. Snow does sometimes occur in the rare instances when cold air from the arctic to the north meets a strong flow of moisture from the Pacific to the West.
