How Does the Temperature at One Location Change over a Year?
ES1706  Temperatures in California

This digital elevation model shows California and western Nevada.

  !   Click the "Valley Cities" and "Coastal Cities" buttons to see temperatures for selected cities from those regions of the state.

Map from USGS and data from National Weather Service
Temperatures at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on August 13, 2001.

All the cities are at roughly the same elevation, but their temperatures vary considerably.

6. What might be responsible for the observed difference in temperature between the coastal cities and the valley cities?

7. Find the average temperature for marked cities in the central valley.

8. Find the average temperature for marked cities along the California coast.

9. What is the difference in average temperatures for cities in the central valley and along the coast?

10. Predict how the temperature difference between valley and coastal cities might change during winter months. Explain your reasoning.

11. List at least one other factor that might control temperature. Describe how you might quantify it.

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