atmospheric river

American

[at-muhs-fer-ik riv-er, -feer-] / ˌæt məsˈfɛr ɪk ˈrɪv ər, -ˈfɪər- /

noun

Meteorology.

a long, narrow corridor in the atmosphere that transports massive amounts of concentrated water vapor from the tropics: often responsible for extratropical cyclones and other extreme weather events, but also for commonly weaker systems of rain that replenish water supplies. AR

Etymology

Origin of atmospheric river

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“While this storm is not expected to be as intense as the atmospheric river we experienced in December, heavy rain, thunderstorms, and dangerous surf can still create serious hazards, including flooding and debris flows.”

From Los Angeles Times

That so-called Pineapple Express was forecast to be the strongest atmospheric river storm to hit Southern California in nearly two years, according to the National Weather Service.

From Los Angeles Times

“Yeah, it was crazy hard. Atmospheric river,” Ray says.

From Literature

And those intensifying climate conditions — higher, stronger waves that accelerate erosion; wetter, more volatile atmospheric river storms that trigger landslides; and hotter, more destructive fires that create conditions ripe for mudflows — affect much of the 650-mile coastal highway running from south Orange County to Mendocino County.

From Los Angeles Times

That comes after a series of atmospheric river storms resulted in downtown Los Angeles’ wettest start to the water year, which begins Oct. 1., since 2011.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023