Alvord Desert
| Alvord Desert | |
| Desert | |
 View of Alvord Desert from Steens Mountain
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Oregon |
| Municipality | Harney County |
| Part of | Basin and Range Province |
| Borders on | Steens Mountain(west) Mickey Butte (north) Pueblo Valley (south) Tule Springs Rim (east) |
| Location | 42°32′N 118°28′W / 42.53°N 118.46°WCoordinates: 42°32′N 118°28′W / 42.53°N 118.46°W |
| Area | 84 sq mi (218 km2) |
| Geology | Basin and Range Province |
 Location of the Alvord Desert within Oregon
|
|
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 (19 by 11 km) 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 desert is named after General Benjamin Alvord, who served as commander of the U.S. Army's Department of Oregon during the American Civil War.
The Alvord Desert experiences a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The area receives very little rainfall throughout the year due to the rain shadow created by the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges as well the adjacent Steens Mountain. Some eastern areas of the desert may receive as little as 5 inches (130 mm) of rain annually.
Winter temperatures in the Alvord Basin are moderated through airflow from the south that stops the temperature from dropping too heavily. While many areas in the Oregon High Desert frequently dip below 0 °F (−18 °C) through the winter months, the Alvord Desert rarely sees these frigid temperatures. On average, highs will commonly reach between 40 and 50 °F (4 and 10 °C), with a few rare instances where the temperature fails to break 32 °F (0 °C). At night, the temperature falls to between 20 and 30 °F (−7 and −1 °C), but will not normally fall much further unless Arctic air masses arrive. 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.
...
Wikipedia