| Alvord Desert | |
| Type: | Desert |
| Map: | USA Oregon#USA |
| Location: | Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates: | 42.53°N -118.46°W |
| Area: | 84sqmi |
| Free Label 1: | Bordered by |
The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the Western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a 12by dry lake bed and averages 7inches of rain a year. Two mountain ranges separate it from the Pacific Ocean—the Coast Range, and the Cascade Mountains. Along with Steens Mountain, these topographical features create a rain shadow. The Alvord Desert lies at an elevation of approximately 4000feet.
During the dry season the surface is sufficiently flat for driving or landing small aircraft. Vehicle driving attempts to score land speed records are performed on the dry lake bed. The women's world land speed record was set in 1976 by Kitty O'Neil at 512mph, later surpassed in 2019 by Jessi Combs at 522.783mph, although the latter died in the process because of a crash.[1]
The nearest community is Fields, Oregon.
The desert is named after General Benjamin Alvord, who served as commander of the U.S. Army's Department of Oregon during the American Civil War.[2]
The Alvord Desert experiences a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The area receives very little rainfall throughout the year due to the rain shadow created by the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges as well the adjacent Steens Mountain. Some eastern areas of the desert may receive as little as 5inches of rain annually.
Winter temperatures in the Alvord Basin are moderated through airflow from the south that stops the temperature from dropping too heavily. While many areas in the Oregon High Desert frequently dip below 0F through the winter months, the Alvord Desert rarely sees these frigid temperatures. On average, highs will commonly reach between 40F50F, with a few rare instances where the temperature fails to break 32F. At night, the temperature falls to between 20F30F, but will not normally fall much further unless Arctic air masses arrive. The basin sees a moderate amount of its rainfall in the winter months from storms coming off the Pacific Ocean while the strong winter jet stream is aimed at the Pacific Northwest. Storms that are strong enough to bring moisture to the Southeastern area of Oregon are usually related to tropical storms feeding from the Hawaiian Islands. Snow does sometimes occur in the rare instances when cold air from the Arctic to the north meets a strong flow of moisture from the Pacific to the West.
Spring is when the bulk of precipitation falls from thunderstorms. These storms are attributed to the rainfall in April, May, and June that form in the south and move their way north across the desert and surrounding sagebrush plains. Clear nights continue to bring cold overnight temperatures which commonly drop to between 30F45F, but afternoon warming raises temperatures to between 50F60F in early spring and 70F80F in late spring. This warming can help trigger thunderstorms in combination with the unstable spring atmosphere. Extremes in temperature can still be seen at this time of year where temperatures have fallen to 0F10F in March, and climbed to over 100F in early June. Rainfall turns the playa into a small lake, and for a short time, makes travel across it difficult.
Summer in the Alvord Desert has some of the hottest temperatures in the state of Oregon. High pressure sets in over the Pacific Northwest and the jet stream pushes north into Canada. This high pressure means very little precipitation, averaging less than 1inches throughout the summer months. Late day heat begins to set in by late June where highs reach between 85F90F. In July the temperature commonly climbs to between 90F100F. Night-time lows vary, with overnight temperatures dropping down between 60F65F throughout much of the basin. In some locations temperatures will only drop to between 65F70F. August remains hot with highs ranging between 90F100F and lows between 50F60F, though dropping towards the end of the month.
Fall is moderate with high temperatures ranging between 60F80F and lows between 40F50F. Fall is also one of the driest times of the year.
Three primary geothermal areas are along the western edge[3] as well as cold springs following NE to SW trending normal faults. On the western edge of the desert is Alvord Hot Springs (42.544°N -118.534°W). At the north is Mickey Hot Springs (42.6781°N -118.3467°W): an assortment of bubbling mud, pools and, the occasional geyser. At the south is Borax Lake (42.3269°N -118.6028°W) which is a thermal spring complex. To the east is an unnamed natural hot spring, one of 40 or more along 25miles of the Alvord fault. To the southwest is seasonal alkali Alvord Lake which once extended 100miles north and south—covering the desert. Several of the geothermal features in Alvord Desert Basin have been examined by a team of scientists and geologists[4] from the University of Idaho, Boise State University, and Idaho State University.[5]
Despite the barren nature of the playa, some opportunities for wildlife observation exist. Wild horses sometimes drink from the springs on the eastern edge of the desert. In areas where natural hot springs flow into the playa, especially around the Alvord Hot Springs, one can usually find nesting long-billed curlew. Further out into the playa proper are numerous killdeer and snowy plover, along with the occasional American avocet. The outlet waters from the springs typically flow roughly one mile into the desert, and their reach roughly delineates the bird habitat. The nearby Steens Mountain Wilderness contains populations of bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and pronghorn. Further west is the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is popular for birding.
The previous women's Land Speed Record was set at Alvord Desert by Kitty O'Neil, in the jet-powered SMI Motivator, in 1976.[6] O'Neil reached 512.71mph.[7] [8] [9]
On August 27, 2019, Jessi Combs died while making back and forth runs at Alvord Desert in an attempt to break O'Neil's record,[10] and in June 2020, Guinness World Records recognized Combs' runs on that date as the official new world record of 522.783mph.