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

Many trees were also already weakened by intense atmospheric river storms that struck Northern California in January 2021, the weather service said. —Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2025

Computer models show more rain likely Wednesday, with the possibility of at least one atmospheric river storm on March 8 and 9, which has the potential to bring heavy snow. —Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025

An atmospheric river of moisture was draped across the Pacific Northwest on Saturday and will deliver breezy winds and drenching rains to Washington and Oregon into Sunday. —Amy Graff, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Southern California manages flooding, mudslides from atmospheric river The San Juan Creek was flowing uncontrollably early Friday morning after an atmospheric rain hit Southern California on Thursday night. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for atmospheric river

• caregiver
• deliver
• downriver
• lawgiver
• upriver
• giver
• liver
• livre
• quiver
• shiver
• sliver