atmospheric river

plural atmospheric rivers

1. climatologyA narrow and long band of atmospheric moisture that transports a lot of water vapour, originating from the tropics, in a manner superficially similar to how a terrestrial river transports water.

   1 more example

   A sequence of atmospheric rivers will bring heavy rainfall and snow to the Western U.S. and Canada over the next week. […] This early in the forecast, meteorologists are certain that the weather pattern is set up for a series of atmospheric river events — in some locations likely reaching a three or a four on the Atmospheric River five-point scale developed by the SCRIPPS Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego — along the West Coast.

   2024 January 26, Judson Jones, “More Atmospheric Rivers Are on the Way. Here’s What the West Can Expect.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2024

   Synonyms: AR