rain shadow

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noun Meteorology.

a region in the lee of mountains that receives less rainfall than the region windward of the mountains.

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Origin of rain shadow

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby rain shadow

rain on one's parade, rain or shine, rainout, rainproof, rains, rain shadow, rain shower, rainsquall, rainstorm, rain tree, rainwash

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rain shadow in a sentence

The Pike National Forest east of town sits in the rain shadow of the 14ers bordering the valley’s west edge, so in some years, roads may stay dry for most of the winter.
Your Guide to Winter Overlanding|awise|December 11, 2021|Outside Online
Lying in a rain shadow cast by the Tuxtlas and on sandy and well-drained soils is a dense xerophytic forest.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman

British Dictionary definitions for rain shadow

rain shadow

noun

the relatively dry area on the leeward side of high ground in the path of rain-bearing winds

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rain shadow

rain shadow

An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a topographic barrier, especially a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture on the windward side, causing the leeward side to be dry.