Mountain ranges are incredible topographic features that provide natural beauty, recreational use and economic boost to cities that rely on tourism.
In addition to the many benefits to visitors and residents alike, mountain ranges also play a huge role in weather and climate patterns in the areas surrounding the ranges.
In the United States, there are several mountain ranges that can be found along either coastline.
The two largest ranges closest to Missouri are the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains. The Rocky Mountains fall to the west of Missouri and the Appalachian Mountains to the east. Because of the way mountains are formed and interact with the atmosphere, weather patterns behave differently around the ranges than they do along flat topography.
The first thing to know about mountain weather is that climates will typically vary greatly from the base of the mountain to the peak. This is because temperature and atmospheric mass generally decrease with height.
These changes with height also impact how quickly water can evaporate.
The higher in altitude that moisture travels, the easier it is for that moisture to evaporate.
Easier evaporation is not the only impact mountain ranges have on water in the atmosphere. There is a process called the orographic effect that is caused when air runs into the side of a mountain range and is forced upward.
As the air moves upward, saturation is likely as the saturation process becomes easier when the air cools as it moves uphill. The orographic effect and subsequent saturation can lead to cloud formation and precipitation on the windward side of the range.
On the leeward side of the range, or the side downhill of the mountain, conditions are typically dry as the air moving down the side of the mountain warms as it descends.
Here in Missouri, much of the moisture we receive is drawn to the area by southerly winds that pull moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward. In a sense, the lack of significant mountain ranges between Missouri and the Gulf of Mexico provides more opportunity for rainfall across the entirety of the state.
That being said, there is speculation that the Ozark Mountains may impact weather patterns in some capacity.
In some cases, it appears that the Ozark Mountains can block air masses, in some capacity, or cause a funnel effect for winds as they pass through the hills.
Some researchers are looking into how the Ozark Mountains impact weather patterns for the areas north and south of the range. This research relies on the understanding meteorologists and climatologists have of weather patterns as they relate to larger mountain ranges around the world.
Much of this research can be conducted as weather events, both past and present, occur.
Maddie Est has worked as a broadcast meteorologist and marine meteorologist since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2021. She has worked with the Missouri Climate Center and conducted research on atmospheric blocking while at MU.