Hoover Dam
Passing is come. The gates in the dam allow the story of the Colorado Blow-which in sohung spent of huge loads in the chân fazu fatalı oữ da lapall Valley, tha dear of gey that frought lost the focaustan of the taken ton, the yers cut by eaglewis is working out the ancienda fur coatrolling the swan, and the Anl stage det find to the baking về the duzs Bear with all this trukground, laila bolt for the einer to my is least: "All of this wast power plaar was pleand καις μελίσκιλς τιn of the Colunas River! Tot sach is tim one, nul de Accelopount of abutale power and the onemetsad oppstunities that goo with Lake Mod today can only mondary umedia. The type of station nepamined by the dam is sde a poupee of Intumat tu the Vielsens. Alest ad dom re kndle with the idea of a dam being asestricted is the Insus of ma neck, with anak and hayed to the cayen sepunar. Flower, wine sind pha chás dean is a parip-ad" tym, the med "what's that is okrest piada na falling. When it is copied that the "purity" Promo of the doua dugly soras the structura fan sols a. grhous book than the vendis pressure of the lako agat La spaces face wodd act be sexagh to lasdee it ov И бели кои по мayan walls to hip hold it la ghen, Com the komuniky vì ter dom is impressed an one in way that is never to be Bragettes. It by Anda wander that the viktor finally become "shock pronf" in the barrage of figues that be heirs, and simply scages dans wilont a slaglo quastion. Than by the thus has todo cau ứnt the. bike verso agalog the aperiam fico of the dam tele ammad as con poumele par équato foca, thấy bật of taleema thon (which should and remely warld, lewa hia gaplng) is pread over with wardly any visible macciaul One of the way ensamma quasleen asked he tha galde te somnic in "What would happen wenn s of -ape dood were to come down the Clouds Kivu Wict wanéd happen το δε κα! Actually wing ανικής λαρχος. In the fat yhwe, the the vast storage capacky of Lake Mond would demand any seper food that might commabably develop is the Colorade Hiver duinege. Fut cay thue & couldak, như thon? The angincurs who wached ant the doule of the dam didn't lông sayching to chance. The two baga sellesys, ane an mich đớc cử nha campra, am designed to take care of any sach type of on элетроку. Ино сра бейа пea,poo Recond Aure of water, by-pandag is ansand the daun sad lansk foto the dnz. Now the Chinado ks beau kaowa in camy in waws of scopus moved fit of war dziny otwa food candice, bot pore chiec to the queen wood fat educky of the two mallways Add to thes Agano the fout thộc thụ được ông thôko towers can baulle regon sowond fate of wanton, ind you are ap with tha astrakisdung tond of yagipun saraód fose of war that codd be put through end aomnd the desa in mass of w sotayancyl Bat chongh of big figaves shoot the da Spending of the lane intre towert, thers the is ons vary fulqay Dentara shout them that ofnun yerous by uspetesi, ne walά καρρασε κατά τσίour in he rigidly Emmal to the sea. Tem, dane app to be a foa имоти всталina la the fans of a vullenar bersem the inwen and tom dom, but appenthurus sas saladeslleg. If you alsould sumasine one of these weltsays, you would food that it is not a scotiesur ahip of cuseste. bestead thana new Mig rood, letetineling teeth austing seans tha walkway ae mon thru ane pakt. Then are your' in to allow the til inaku towns to sway a bit under the wassures to which they are subjected by the bike. Za This way, navester of any waar is possible without stratching beraidag.
One enbur question shuar dhe. dan ik aften haards "What happens to me there is at anchupalar Actually matblag Lappens, "The posthus of outh movanent is a sadenas one where a dâm is involved. This marre was runefully thought out by de designers when the da wat bong phamed. Natotally in is possible for a epoks sufliem lonandty ti datmy the dam, but θα εκτετοτχισε έναι and does wideand sharp shoala oat chaithoge. In razã, at du clave ohus Lakes Maed, was Bling supidly, grelopists pussileted that the great welfa of the film wetas mehr anne cuadretaments to tal place in the card's anchum near and arcond the dama. In May of that yest, these preilictique come tras: In ane duy, nhưưa thep tensy quakes wom lek-ana về thức akara mengh to come the walls of haddings and hal plass in newby Benlaice Chy, Arid what happened st the dan? Natüng noch. It bouced and que a from the grum intensity of the the shock, but he wis was built to suy timer, and stay & did Of coumas, ona ting did happen. There was a fac of people uitleg inside the dam at the tien, and they didn't want ưng áno getting outsidel As might be supposed, with so many panda ravish ing the dam, there are bound to be strange things happen. they keep the gulls squawking, fat or thin. Они всех Incident took place one day when a guide motion ing to lady winside the elevator river on the other side of the dam. For a long time she had been standing inviting tour after tour to leave the top of the dam for the other side of the elevation, but she made no effect in go ing any way of shame. Finally, one of the guides, wishing to be helpful and disclosing perhaps she was mistaken to how she should get over there, joining one of the groups, approached last and asked if she wished to go sharing with them net pack For a moment she sharply looked him over with stern expression on her face, Then she said, with anrass curiosity "Young man, you'll never get used to the fact that phrase Pearl Harbor has a landing barge like the Just t housands unloading these poor nephews go into that elevation These Java bound hundreds of other go down in there but what a struggle one has when coming out" Obviously she hadn't seen others pouring out of the aforium in the Arizonan side of the dam, and the world's just about to trust these men for molten, no collar bow camseons daring to fight back. Another story is the magic of Hoover Dam
Climate OF THE LAKE MEAD RECREATION AREA
Have you ever wondered what the weather would be like 600 feet up the wall of a steep desert canyon? You might question why anybody would be interested in what goes on at such a position, yet that would be the situation that roughly describes the shore of Lake Mead, that vast lake which impounds the waters of the Colorado River behind Hoover Dam on the ArizonaNevada border. True, the lake spreads out into some large valleys where the beach becomes a nice gentle slope. But Hoover Dam was built in an area of wild, rugged canyons, and the climate of the area, little tempered by the bodies of water, is still the climate of the wild desert canyons.
Below Hoover Dam is Lake Mohave, a long narrow body of water backed up behind Davis Dam. Since this lake is in an extension of the same series of canyons that holds Lake Mead, the climate of the shores around Lake Mohave is somewhat that of the bottom of a steep canyon at its upper, or northern end, becoming less confined as one approaches the southern end of the lake near the dam. Lake Mohave is roughly six hundred feet lower than Lake Mead and therefore, the air temperature around its shoreline is a few degrees warmer. But other than that difference the climates around the two lakes are similar.
Weather, as we know it, changes from day to day. Climate is a composite of the weather over a period of time. The day to day weather of the Lake Mead Area Can be likened, in disposition, to a cat. Most of the time a cat is perfectly content and allows you to relax in its good graces. But periodically a cat becomes playful, or even downright mean, and spits and uses its claws. We must, of necessity, study its moods. When understanding begins, this seemingly chaotic pattern of behavior of a cat falls into a more orderly sequence and we begin to feel more confidence in predicting its actions.
In the same fashion, the weather of the Recreational Area will purr for you like a kitten most of the time. You can bask in the winter sun of this angler's paradise with perfect contentment. The gentle warmth will soothe and relax every nerve in your body. In spring, desert wild flowers will fascinate you. In summer, the desert clouds will parade for you. In any season you will be fascinated by the grotesque shapes and configurations of the weather-worn hills. Long evening shadows will cast bold outlines from the sharply chiseled rocks. The exceptional visibility in the Area will seem to bring everything closer as distant hills stand out in sharp relief, a delight to the eye, and a challenge to skill with the camera.
But, like all wild things, the weather in the canyons will occasionally bare its fangs and show its worst nature. When this occurs, the shrill wind will blow across the lakes, making the whitecaps dance. On that day man will stay in his camp as the canyons shout to remind him that they were there first. Man was the latecomer andmust take second choice during such moods.
After the storm, the lake becomes quiet, the sun beams and the invitation is given, "Man, enjoy my canyons. I will now smile on you. You may rest and play in peace. But, keep a wary eye, for I am still wild and will not be tamed."
Man is an intelligent creature. He remembers, and while enjoying himself in his chosen hobbies, keeps a weather eye alert for changes. He may admit that he cannot tame the moods of the Lake Mead Area, but he can learn to understand them.
The Recreational Area is essentially a desert area and has a desert climate. The elevation of the shore of Lake Mead is roughly twelve hundred feet above sea level. The elevation of Lake Mohave is about six hundred feet above sea level. At these elevations, a desert climate means mild winters and hot summers, infrequent rainfall, abundant sunshine, low relative humidity and occasional strong winds.
The portion of this area we in Arizona are most concerned with is the east and south shores from Pierce Ferry, named for an old crossing of the Colorado River, to Davis Dam. This is one of the driest areas in the United States. The average rainfall is about five inches annually and the relative humidity is only thirty percent on a yearly average of four standard measurements a day. Sunshine averages 83 percent of the possible.
In an arid country as this one would normally expect great contrasts in temperature between day and night. However, this contrast has not been found to be as extreme as the dryness would indicate. The proximity of the canyons and desert ridges promotes just enough air movement at night to prevent the severe drop in temperature which accompanies sundown in so many desert areas. The diurnal variation, as the difference between day and night temperature is called, averages from twenty to twenty-five degrees during the winter and midsummer months and increases to slightly over thirty degrees in the drier spring and fall months.
Since the Lake Mead Recreational Area is an all-year vacation spot, we should go through the seasons, briefly, mentioning the main weather features of each.
For all-round enjoyable vacationing, the late fall and winter months are the best, weatherwise, in the area. Daytime temperatures drop rapidly after October fifteenth and average between 60 and 70 degrees from November through February. Temperatures around Lake Mohave and the area just below Hoover Dam are about three degrees warmer than the temperatures around the south shore of Lake Mead, due to the difference in elevation already mentioned. During the night, temperatures gradually drop until near sunrise, when the minimum temperature of the day occurs. The average early morning minimum ranges from 35 to 45 degrees during this season.
Rainfall is infrequent in winter, although occurring slightly oftener than in the other seasons. The average is three days with rain a month for the November through February period. In fact, rainfall is so erratic that many winter months go by without any rain whatsoever. Snowfall is rare, occurring in measurable quantities in about one year out of four.
In this area, as in many other portions of the desert Southwest, storms and cold fronts from the Pacific Ocean cause a considerable increase in wind speed as they go by. These storms are known in the desert regions as "dry storms" as they are accompanied by increasing winds and cloudiness but seldom precipitate any moisture. The orientation of the lower Colorado River valley and surrounding topography is believed partly responsible for the increase in wind speeds with the passage of storm centers, as a marked increase, greater than in some other desert areas, is noticeable from the Gulf of California northward. Similar wind conditions are experienced in other low-elevation valleys in Arizona, oriented north and south, such as the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Valleys. In areas where fishing in light boats is undertaken it is desirable to study the wind patterns in detail from the standpoint of safety.
Fortunately, the late fall and winter months, which are the best season from a temperature standpoint, are less affected by strong winds than are the spring and summer months. An analysis of the Las Vegas, Nevada, wind records, which are the closest complete U.S. Weather Bureau records to the Recreational Area, show that during daylight hours, wind speeds over eighteen miles per hour occur only six percent of the time from October through January. If it were assumed that these winds were continuous most of the day during the proximity of a storm, they would average out to about two days of high winds per month during this period. In addition to the winds over eighteen miles per hour, winds with speeds from thirteen to eighteen miles per hour occur an additional ten percent of the time.
On the basis of this data it is conceivable that a person going on a six day trip to Lake Mead or Lake Mohave for fishing could expect at least one of those six days to be too windy for a small boat on the lake. Weekend travelers, going just for a day or two, would do well to check the weather reports carefully before leaving home if they expect to use a small boat on the lake and don't want to be disappointed by windy conditions.
The direction of the winds over twelve miles per hour in this area has been found to be from either a southwesterly or a northerly direction in winter. The southwest winds occur before and during the passage of these winter storms. The north winds are characteristic of the periods after a storm when a high pressure area has moved into northern Nevada and Utah and wind from the high is blowing down the lower Colorado River canyons.
While it is important that we understand the frequency of windy conditions in the Area for our own safety and comfort, we should not overlook the many winter days when the air is practically calm. When the sun is shining, the temperature is just right, and the lakes are like glass, the desert is ours to enjoy. These are the days, the five out of six, that have made the Lake Mead Recreational Area famous as a winter sport fishing center.
Spring, the next season, has often been described as a period of awakening. Climatically speaking, spring is the period of quickening, or speeding up of the forces of nature. Temperature fluctuations become more noticeable. Storms and associated cold fronts move more rapidly and possess greater amounts of energy. Contrasts and extremes are present in all weather elements.
The Lake Mead Recreational Area is also influenced by spring. Daytime temperatures begin to rise, progress-ing from an average in the low seventy's in March to the ninety's in May. Daytime temperatures usually even run above the one hundred mark for a day or two in April and for several days at a time in May. Short periods of low daytime temperatures are sandwiched between, even as low as those experienced on a usual winter day. The air is very dry and short periods of high temperature are not uncomfortable. The dry air also assists to cool the nights in spring. The difference between day and night temperature widens with early morning minimums about thirty degrees lower than the daytime high. This places the minimum temperature range from the forty's in March to the sixty's in May.
Spring in the Lake Mead Area can purr like a kitten, but it can also roar like a lion. The balance is still in favor of the "purring" weather, although the margin has been reduced considerably over that experienced in winter. The incidence of daylight wind speeds over eighteen miles per hour, again considering Las Vegas weather records, increases to twenty-two percent of the time, still not a high percentage. In addition, winds from thir-teen to eighteen miles per hour occur another twenty per-cent of the daylight hours. These figures apply from March through June. When put on a monthly basis, this means that about thirteen days out of each month during this period will be too windy for a light boat on the lakes.
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