The Jemez mountains span a wide range of ecological types ranging from arid to subalpine. Near the Rio Grande river the climate is arid. The annual precipitation is around 6 inches per year. The general vegetation description of the lower elevations of the Pajarito Plateau is Pinon - Juniper forest. At an elevation of around 7000 feet, the forest type transitions to Ponderosa pine. A second transition in forest type begins at an elevation of around 9000 feet to subalpine forest. Above this level the forest consists mainly of various species of fir and large groves of Aspen.
The highest elevations receive around 25 inches of precipitation per year. Much of the precipitation in the Jemez mountains occurs during the summer monsoon season. The mountains of New Mexico have thunderstorms nearly every afternoon. During the thunderstorm season, the high humidity and heavy rainfall reduce the danger of fire to a very low level. The seasonal concentration of rainfall induces heavy vegetation growth in the vicinity of the mountains and the canyon bottoms.
The driest season in the Jemez mountains is in the period from April to mid June. In this season the weather patterns are generally shifting from domination by North Pacific weather (winter) to Gulf of Mexico weather (summer). Dry, cold front penetration from the North in the spring leads to high wind conditions. As these cold fronts pass into the Midwest they often tap moisture from the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the tornado problems associated with the mid west. Continuous winds of 35 to 40 mph with gusts to 75 mph are common during the dry season.
