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

This atmospheric river had been hovering over the Southeast for days, trapped by a strong high pressure system, before inching its way north. —John Bacon, USA Today, 15 May 2025

Though less common than western counterparts, atmospheric rivers in the Southeast do happen. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025

The biggest difference is where each atmospheric river pulls its moisture from. —Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025

The hazardous amount of rain is the result of an atmospheric river, according to USA Today. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 3 Apr. 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