atmospheric river

[ at-muhs-fer-ik riv-er, -feer- ]

noun

, Meteorology.

1. 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 Compare cloud band ( def 1 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of atmospheric river¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

In the region above, cold reigned, for finely-powdered snow was falling into this atmospheric river.

From Project Gutenberg