atmospheric river

noun

plural atmospheric rivers
: a concentrated band of water vapor that flows through the atmosphere and that is a significant part of the global hydrologic cycle and an important source of regional precipitation
Environment Canada is working on a new system to rank atmospheric rivers, a type of weather system that damaged highways, flooded farms and homes, and left at least four people dead in southern B.C. earlier this week.Wendy Stueck
Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
In a typical year, significant atmospheric river storms occur about 10 to 15 times in California. Ultimately, they account for up to 50% of the state's precipitation.Paul Rogers

Examples of atmospheric river in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An atmospheric river through Monday will bring heavy rain to Washington state, especially for the mountains. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2025 Building an atmospheric river control spillway at New Bullards Bar Dam would target reducing peak flows downstream and relieving stress on the levee system during heavy atmospheric river events, said John James, Yuba Water’s director of resource planning, in the news release. Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025 As climate change continues to increase temperatures, atmospheric rivers will have increased capacity for holding moisture and releasing even more rain and snow. Priya Shukla, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025 The Bay Area is bracing for yet another major storm as an atmospheric river makes its way through California this week. Nadia Lopez, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for atmospheric river

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of atmospheric river was in 1993

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Cite this Entry

“Atmospheric river.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atmospheric%20river. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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