Utah’s climate is influenced by its proximity to the equator, elevation and its place in relation to the Intermountain Region, and distance to the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific. Storms originating in the Pacific ocean, cross the Sierras and Cascades, as moist air from the ocean rises above the mountain ranges, most of this falls as rain. This means that the prevailing winds which reach Utah are deprived of moisture, and dry, lessening rainfall in the State.