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Here is a cross-section of the
North American
continent - click it to enlarge
(100kb)
The Plains is the flat bit in the centre.
As it is thousands of miles from the sea the temperature differences
between winter and summer are huge! There are often droughts in summer
and heavy snowfalls in winter.
Freak weather conditions like tornadoes
(twisters) and massive hailstorms with hailstones the size of
golfballs are not uncommon!
The north of the Plains is very different
from the south. Here is a map.
The further south in Texas (TX), Oklahoma
(OK) and Kansas (KS) the drier and hotter it gets.
In the west in Montana (MT), Wyoming (WY)
and Colorado (CO) the grassland is short - this is the HIGH PLAINS
near the Rocky Mountains.
In the east -the LOW PLAINS - longer
prairie grass grows.
Some problems for people living here are:
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shortage of water
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shortage of wood
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strong winds
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harsh weather
The Plains Indians often moved around the
region, following the large buffalo herds. They moved north in summer
and south in winter. In winter many tribes camped in the foothills of
the Rockies to shelter from winds and blizzards. |
