How's the climate on my mesa?

(Edited for focus; see history for previous version)

Following up on this question, let's say I have a "coastal" mesa (relatively flat, high land not far from an ocean) with taller mountains behind it.

Here's a rough illustration:

Let's say that the climate near the bottom (elevation: 100m or less) is basically San Diego "” 14°C - 22°C seasonal, ±5°C daily high/low "” but perhaps wetter.

Let's say the mesa is about 1500m high (note: previously I was using 1000m) and about 50km inland. From Mark's answer (thanks!) we can estimate that the overall average temperature on the mesa will be 10°C lower.

...But that implies a summer high of a measly 15°C. Denver, which is at a similar elevation and much further north (though also much further inland) manages to get up to 30°C.

So... realistically, what sort of climate and plant life would I expect to find on this mesa? Could it sustain forests? Could deciduous trees grow here (transplanted by humans, if necessary), and if so, would they change colors in autumn? Would the mesa get snow, and if so, how much and how often?

posted almost 5 years ago

Matthew‭

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