Buena Vista, Colorado - altitude 8,000 feet
Home of the 14ers...and Colorado's Banana Belt

The weather in the Upper Arkansas Valley bears little resemblance to that of the High Plains and the Front Range.

The temperature and wind patterns of the valley are largely driven by the sun as it heats the valley floor and valley walls in the same order just about every day.

The height of the mountains that circle the valley cause most of the approaching precipitation to fall outside the valley, resulting in a semi-arid climate.

 The one exception is when a storm centered near the western Colorado-New Mexico border produces a moisture flow up the San Luis Valley and over Poncha Pass. This is the scenario for major snow storms. Typically, precipitation in the valley is quite light with amounts depending upon elevation and storm movement.

The many days of sunshine produce a pleasant warm climate for much of the year, but because of the altitude, a day with clouds can be quite cool.