Editing Santa Lucia Range (section)

=== Climate ===

Like other [[Pacific Coast Ranges]], the mountains' close proximity to the [[Pacific Ocean]] cause moisture to be deposited on the west-facing slopes, creating a suitable environment for conifers. This creates a [[rain shadow]] over [[Salinas Valley]] to the east, which is considerably drier. The higher peaks receive some snowfall during the winter.

The climate is classified as ''dry summer subtropical'', or [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. Rainfall varies from {{convert|16|to|60|in|cm}}  throughout the range. Most of the precipitation falls during the winter on the higher mountains in the north.  During the summer, fog and low clouds are frequent along the coast up to an elevation of 2–3,000 feet.  [[Surface runoff]] from rainfall is rapid, and many streams dry up entirely in the summer, except for some perennial streams in the wetter areas in the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Santa Lucia Range ecological subregion information |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315224046/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/261aj.htm |archive-date=2005-03-15 |access-date=2014-02-22}}</ref>