Final answer:
Mountains can profoundly influence climate through the Orographic effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true.
The Orographic effect, also known as the rain shadow effect, occurs when prevailing winds carrying moisture rise quickly in elevation up a mountainside. As the air cools and condenses, it precipitates out its moisture on the windward side of the mountain range, resulting in abundant rainfall.
However, on the leeward side of the mountains, the air descends and warms up, causing the moisture to be depleted, leading to a more arid climate.
For example, the rain shadow effect of the western mountain ranges in North America creates a semi-arid condition in eastern Washington and eastern Oregon, where the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges cut off moisture from falling on the leeward side.