Esmeralda Peaks is a multi-summit mountain located in
Kittitas County
Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
state.
Esmeralda Peaks are in the Teanaway area of the
Wenatchee Mountains
The Wenatchee Mountains are a range of mountains in central Washington State, United States of America. A major subrange of the Cascade Range, extending east from the Cascade crest, the Wenatchee Mountains separate the drainage basins of the Ya ...
.
Esmeralda Peaks is situated south of
Ingalls Peak
Ingalls Peak is a triple-summit mountain located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, along the common border of Kittitas County and Chelan County, in Washington state. Ingalls Peak is the highest point in the Teanaway area of the Wenatchee Mountai ...
, and southeast of
Hawkins Mountain, on land managed by
Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres (2,711.55 sq mi, or 7,022.89 km²), it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from ...
. Precipitation
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from the peaks drains into tributaries of the
Teanaway River
The Teanaway River is a tributary of the Yakima River, in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. It flows into the Yakima River near Cle Elum, Washington, Cle Elum. The Teanaway River is part of the Columbia River basin, being a tr ...
. This mountain's name has also been spelled ''Esmerelda Peaks'', however Esmeralda was officially adopted in 1966 by the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...
.
Climate
Lying east of the
Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
crest, the area around Hawkins Mountain is a bit drier than areas to the west. Summers can bring warm temperatures and occasional thunderstorms.
Weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For in ...
s originating in the Pacific Ocean travel east toward the
Cascade Mountains
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow onto the Cascades (
Orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
). As a result, the eastern slopes of the Cascades experience lower precipitation than the western slopes. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.
[Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.]
See also
*
*
Geology of the Pacific Northwest
The geology of the Pacific Northwest includes the composition (including rock, minerals, and soils), structure, physical properties and the processes that shape the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The region is part of the Ring of Fir ...
Gallery
File:Esmeralda Peaks and Hawkins.jpg, Esmeralda Peaks, with Hawkins upper left
Esmeralda Peak, east peak.jpg, Esmeralda Peaks, 6,480-ft east peak
File:Looking to Esmeralda Peak.jpg, Esmeralda Peak from the north
References
{{reflist
External links
* Esmeralda Peaks
weather forecast* Esmeralda Peaks drone video
YouTube* Climbing Esmeralda Peak
YouTube
Mountains of Kittitas County, Washington
Mountains of Washington (state)
Wenatchee National Forest
Cascade Range
North American 2000 m summits