Re: Those Dragon Pass winters

From: JEFFREY KYER <jeff.kyer_at_...>
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 13:56:45 -0000

One might also point out that that is pretty old info. And I'd be thinking they are day-time information. Otherwise if its mean -- that
summer temperature cannot be an average...

> course Battle Valley is a valley and on the East side of the
Quivini
> mountains so perhaps the climate their is a little warmer, but I
> would not imagine that the fluctuation was more than about 5

A lot warmer.

If you'd ever climed mountains or travelled a lot in rough terrain, its frightening what a few thousand feet can do for your frostbite. And, I where I live, snowfall differs incredibly over only a few miles
-- totally controlled by landforms. Toronto gets 1m of snow per year.
Buffalo (only 50 miles to the *SOUTH* at about the same elevation gets
4m -- usually in massive blasts.

The Quivini and Stormwalk mountains make a very nice rain-shadow for the Praxian desert. Just ask anyone from BC or Calfornia about rain-shadow.

Or, for that matter, anyone on the interior of Australia. That's a text book example with that lovely eastern costal range -- and those aren't even very big mountains. Snow on the top, jungle at the bottom. Lets not even talk about the Andes (as they are more like the
Rockwoods.

> degress. Wind chill of course might make it feel a lot colder and
> make that hearth in the stead look inviting.

Climate does not vary, but weather does.  

> There are also stats for rainfall, snow and IIRC flora and fauna.
>
> However the legendary Dragon Pass winters don't seem to be
mentioned,
> perhaps these are unseasonable conditions - "I remember the great
> Dragon Pass winter of 1611, it was so cold that..."

If you go up two or three thousand feet, you will find climate much different. If you're familar with the Grand Canyon, its just incredible walking down it. We started in a Northern Pine Forest at the top (temperature was about 2C) and by the time we got to the bottom, it was SouthWestern arid desert (temperature 20c) -- all over the course of walking down 4500 feet (temperatures were taken at the same time, courtesy of the US Forest Service)  

This was, btw, in early January.

> I think I am with the "Environment in Glorantha is not just
> influenced by Geography but by inhabitants school" just look at
what

Geography has more influence than you might suspect. The micro climates talked about in Dorastor: Land of Doooooooom are no myth and are fairly typical of mountainous regions.

> happens to the ecology in uz areas "fungus forests, giant insects"
> etc. so as you move north-east in Dragon Pass towards Shadows Dance
> and Dagori Inkarth I expect temperatures to fall (though they must
> get reasonable springs in the Vale of Flowers).
>
> Anyone with access to their copy want to clear this up, otheriwse
> you'll have to wait until I dig mine out.
>
> Ian

Just looking at a few "Real World" examples. Weather and Climate are much more varied than the average city dweller would think. Me? I spent 5 years as a field geologist experiencing 'climate modified by geography' at its most vicious.

Hope that this is of some use,

Jeff

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