Climate
Moist Pacific air carried by westerly winds drops large amounts of rain and snow as it ascends the windward side of the Coast Mountains. The air drops over the eastern slopes into the Montane Cordillera, where it compresses and warms, causing clouds to thin out. The pronounced rainshadow cast by the massive Coast Mountains makes the valley bottoms of the south-central interior the driest climates of B.C. The air releases moisture again, creating an interior rain belt
Annual precipitation in the higher elevations ranges between 1 200 and 2 200 mm. The northern and interior portions of the ecozone receive between 500 and 800 mm annually