Why do climates at hills or mountains cooler/pleasant than it is in a plain?

Question

seeking a scientific answer

Answer 1

This is not always true. The following are a few examples of when hills and mountains are warmer and/or more wet with precipitation.

1. Winter fog develops over the valley or low elevation early in the morning and stay in the valley most of the day. This is caused in part by a stable environment with a strong low inversion in place. This condition is caused mainly by a strong upper level high pressure system.

2. Summer monsoonal storms will produce heavy rains, flash flooding, more humid but sometime also cooler weather over the hills and mountain. These system can also provide cooler and drier air over the valley due to high based clouds. If these mountains and valley region are near a large lake or ocean, the high based thunderstorms can help start the inflow of much cooler air to the valley while the mountains area will continue to see thunderstorms, local flooding, and more warmer and humid air.

3. Low level winds may help cool off the valley in the form of a delta breeze while the mountain area will remain warm through the afternoon.

Answer 2

As air is rising by the mechanical lift of the mountain the air cools, the higher the mountain the cooler (associated with the anabeotic (sp) rate of 3 degrees F per 1000 ft lift). ( I am sorry I don't have the correct spelling available for anabeotic rate) There is also Thermal lift caused by rising air caused by heat usually over dry arid ground or plowed ground.

As the air spills over the top of the mountain and starts downward it becomes warmer also known as a Chinook wind you will fine the dryer warmer winds on a plain downwind from mountains. example: the great plains east of the Rocky Mountains in North America.

Answer 3

The sun is eclipsed by the mountains from all angles and cooler air is trapped in the low lying areas.
On the plains the opposite is true.
More sunshine and better air circulation.
Of course the mountains look better.

Answer 4

Air temperature increases indirectly from the ground, first the ground gets heated by the sun then the air gets warmed up. In hilly areas, the land area is less causing less increase in heat of air.

Answer 5

Because the atmosphere is heated from the bottom .The atmosphere is transparent to the direct heat rays of the sun and gets heated by the reflected rays from the earth's surface.

Answer 6

there is less atmospheric pressure at higher elevations,
allowing denser (colder) air to remain at the top of a mountain