Snoqualmie Ridge from Granite Mountain
Posted December 27th, 2009 in [hide]
From 5,207 feet, the view of the surrounding mountains is downward. This panoramic strip shows the clouds blowing over - and getting stuck in - the lower Cascades near Snoqualmie Pass.
As clouds are forced up, over the mountains, into the colder (high altitude) air, they release their moisture as rain or snow. The Cascade Range thus forms a divide; to the west is the lush, or even downright wet Puget Sound region, and to the east is a vast desert. A rain shadow extends from Cle Elum to Spokane, on the western edge of the Rockies.
