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
Wendy StueckAtmospheric 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
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIn 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
Paul RogersExamples of atmospheric river in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Weather whiplash and climate change The same pattern that created the rain over Hawaii, and atmospheric rivers in the Pacific Northwest also brought high winds and snow storms and a variety of extremes to the eastern half of the United States during the month.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Winter Storms Deliver Long‑Awaited Relief for Lake Tahoe The surge has largely been driven by a series of severe winter storms and atmospheric river systems that swept across Northern California and the Sierra Nevada region in recent weeks.
—Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
In a typical year, California receives about a dozen big atmospheric river storms, huge conveyor belts of moisture that account for roughly 50% of the state’s annual precipitation.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
That’s what happened with the Kona low, and an atmospheric river is now shunting that moisture and heat up to the Pacific Northwest, where some of it is diverging into the ridge and likely adding to the warmth.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Winter Storms Deliver Long‑Awaited Relief for Lake Tahoe The surge has largely been driven by a series of severe winter storms and atmospheric river systems that swept across Northern California and the Sierra Nevada region in recent weeks.
—Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
In a typical year, California receives about a dozen big atmospheric river storms, huge conveyor belts of moisture that account for roughly 50% of the state’s annual precipitation.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
That’s what happened with the Kona low, and an atmospheric river is now shunting that moisture and heat up to the Pacific Northwest, where some of it is diverging into the ridge and likely adding to the warmth.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for atmospheric river
Cite this Entry
“Atmospheric river.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atmospheric%20river. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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