This illustration shows how a rain shadow forms on the wind-protected side of a mountain.

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Cloud Formation Due to Mountains

Rain Shadow
A rain shadow is a dry region of land on the side of a mountain range that is protected from the
prevailing winds. Prevailing winds are the winds that occur most of the time in a particular location on the Earth.
The protected side of a mountain range is also called the lee side or the down-wind side.

Prevailing winds carry air toward the mountain range. As the air rises up over a mountain range, the air cools,
water vapor condenses, and clouds form. On this side of the mountains, called the windward
side, precipitationfalls in the form of rain or snow. The windward side of a mountain range is moist and lush
because of this precipitation.

Once the air passes over the mountain range, it moves down the other side, warms, and dries out. This dry air
produces a rain shadow. Land in a rain shadow is typically very dry and receives much less precipitation
and cloud cover than land on the windward side of the mountain range.

Some examples of rain shadow deserts in North America include:

 The dry basins east of the Cascade Range in Washington and Oregon
 The Great Basin of Nevada and Utah, east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range
 The Colorado Front Range, east of the Rocky Mountains

Rain shadow deserts can be found in other areas of the world, including the following:

 The Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China is in a rain shadow due to the towering Himalaya mountain
range
 The Atacama Desert in Chile is in a rain shadow created by both the Andes Mountains and weather
patterns over the Pacific Ocean
 The Hawaiian Islands have rain shadows on the leeward sides of volcanoes
 A rain shadow is a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The
mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness
behind them. Wind and moist air is drawn by the prevailing winds towards the top of the mountains,
where it condenses and precipitates before it crosses the top. The air, without much moisture left,
advances across the mountains creating a drier side called the "rain shadow".

Contents

 1Description
 2Regions of notable rain shadow
o 2.1Asia
 2.1.1Middle East
o 2.2South America
o 2.3North America
o 2.4Europe
o 2.5Africa
o 2.6Oceania
 3See also
 4References
 5External links

Description[edit]
The condition exists because warm moist air rises by orographic lifting to the top of a mountain
range. As atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the air has expanded
and adiabatically cooled to the point that the air reaches its adiabatic dew point (which is not the
same as its constant pressure dew point commonly reported in weather forecasts). At the adiabatic
dew point, moisture condenses onto the mountain and it precipitates on the top and windward sides
of the mountain. The air descends on the leeward side, but due to the precipitation it has lost much
of its moisture. Typically, descending air also gets warmer because of adiabatic
compression (see Foehn winds) down the leeward side of the mountain, which increases the amount
of moisture that it can absorb and creates an arid region.[1]

Regions of notable rain shadow[edit]

The Tibetan Plateau (top), perhaps the best example of a rain shadow. Rain does not make it past
the Himalayas, leading to an arid climate on the leeward side of the mountain range.
There are regular patterns of prevailing winds found in bands round the Earth's equatorial region.
The zone designated the trade winds is the zone between about 30° N and 30° S, blowing
predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in
the Southern Hemisphere. The westerlies are the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between
30 and 60 degrees latitude, blowing predominantly from the southwest in the Northern Hemisphere
and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere. The strongest westerly winds in the middle
latitudes can come in the Roaring Forties between 30 and 50 degrees latitude.[citation needed]
Examples of notable rain shadowing include:

Asia[edit]
 Eastern Side of Sahyadri ranges on Deccan e.g. Northern
Karnataka & Solapur, Beed, Osmanabad, VidharbaPlateau and eastern side of Kerala (in Tamil
Nadu) India.
 Gilgit and Chitral are rainshadow areas.

The Agasthiyamalai hills cut off Tirunelveli (India) from the monsoons, creating a rainshadow region

 The peaks of the Caucasus Mountains to the west and Hindukush and Pamir to the east rain
shadow the Karakumand Kyzyl Kum deserts east of the Caspian Sea, as well as the semi-
arid Kazakh Steppe.
 The Dasht-i-Lut in Iran is in the rain shadow of the Elburz and Zagros Mountains and is one of
the most lifeless areas on Earth.
 The Himalaya and connecting ranges also contribute to arid conditions in Central
Asia including Mongolia's Gobi desert, as well as the semi-arid steppes of Mongolia and north-
central to north western China.
 The Ordos Desert is rain shadowed by mountain chains including the Kara-naryn-ula, the
Sheitenula, and the Yin Mountains, which link on to the south end of the Great Khingan
Mountains.
 The Thar desert is bounded and rain shadowed by the Aravalli ranges to the south-east, the
Himalaya to the northeast, and the Kirthar and Sulaiman ranges to the west.
 Eastern Side of Sahyadri ranges on Deccan e.g. Northern
Karnataka & Solapur, Beed, Osmanabad, Vidharba Plateau and eastern side of Kerala (in Tamil
Nadu) India.
 The central region of Myanmar is in the rain shadow of the Arakan Mountains and is almost
semi-arid with only 750 millimetres (30 in) of rain as against as much as 5.5 metres (220 in) on
the Rakhine State coast.
 The Tokyo, Japan plain ("Kanto plain") in the winter months experiences significantly less
precipitation than the rest of the country by virtue of surrounding mountain ranges, including the
"Japan Alps", blocking prevailing northwesterly winds originating in Siberia.
 The Verkhoyansk Range in eastern Siberia is the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere,
because the moist southeasterly winds from the Pacific Ocean lose their moisture over the
 coastal mountains well before reaching the Lena River valley, due to the intense Siberian
High forming around the very cold continental air during the winter. One of the evident effects in
the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) are the regions of Yakutsk, Verkhoyansk, and Oymyakon, all of
which have their average temperature in the coldest month being lower than −38 °C (−36 °F),
and have been places of veritable synonyms for extreme severe winter cold.
Middle East[edit]

 The High Peaks of Mount Lebanon rain-shadow the northern parts of the Beqaa Valley and Anti-
Lebanon mountains.
 The Judaean Desert, the Dead Sea and the western slopes of the Moab Mountains on the
opposite (Jordanian) side are rain-shadowed by the Judaean Mountains.
South America[edit]
 The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth because it is blocked from
moisture on both sides (the Andes Mountains to the east block moist Amazon basin air while
the Chilean Coast Range stops the oceanic influence from coming in from the west).
 Cuyo and Eastern Patagonia is rain shadowed from the prevailing westerly winds by
the Andes range and is arid. The aridity of the lands next to eastern piedmont of the Andes
decreases to the south due to a decrease in the height of the Andes with the consequence that
the Patagonian Desert develop more fully at the Atlantic coast contributing to shaping the
climatic pattern known as the Arid Diagonal.[2] The Argentinian wine region of Cuyo and Northern
Patagonia is almost completely dependent on irrigation, using water drawn from the many rivers
that drain glacial ice from the Andes.
 The Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia is in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa
Marta and despite its tropical latitude is almost arid, receiving almost no rainfall for seven to
eight months of the year and being incapable of cultivation without irrigation.
North America[edit]
On the largest scale, the entirety of the North American Interior Plains are shielded from the
prevailing Westerlies carrying moist Pacific weather by the North American Cordillera. More
pronounced effects are observed, however, in particular valley regions within the Cordillera, in the
direct lee of specific mountain ranges. Most rainshadows in the western United States are due to
the Sierra Nevada and Cascades.[3]

 The deserts of the Basin and Range Province in the United States and Mexico, which includes
the dry areas east of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington and the Great Basin,
which covers almost all of Nevada and parts of Utah are rain shadowed. The Cascades also
cause rain shadowed Columbia Basin area of Eastern Washington and valleys in British
Columbia, Canada - most notably the Thompson and Nicola Valleys which can receive less than
10 inches of rain in parts, and the Okanagan Valley (particularly the south, nearest to the US
border) which receives anywhere from 12-17 inches of rain annually.[4][5]
 The east slopes of the Coast Ranges in central and southern California also cut off the
southern San Joaquin Valley from enough precipitation to ensure desert-like conditions in areas
around Bakersfield.
 San Jose, California and adjacent cities are usually drier than the rest of the San Francisco Bay
Area because of the rain shadow cast by the highest part of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
 The Dungeness Valley around Sequim, Washington lies in the rain shadow of the Olympic
Mountains. The area averages 10–15 inches of rain per year, less than half of the amount
received in nearby Port Angeles and approximately 10% of that which falls in Forks on the
western side of the mountains. To a lesser extent, this rain shadow extends to other parts of the
 eastern Olympic Peninsula, Whidbey Island, and parts of the San Juan Islands and
southeastern Vancouver Island around Victoria, British Columbia.
 The Mojave, Black Rock, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts all are in regions which are rain
shadowed.
 The Owens Valley in the United States, behind the Sierra Nevada range in California.
 The aptly named Death Valley in the United States, behind both the Pacific Coast
Ranges of California and the Sierra Nevada range, is the driest place in North America and one
of the driest places on the planet. This is also due to its location well below sea level which
tends to cause high pressure and dry conditions to dominate due to the greater weight of the
atmosphere above.
 The Colorado Front Range is limited to precipitation that crosses over the Continental Divide.
While many locations west of the Divide may receive as much as 40 inches (1,000 mm) of
precipitation per year, some places on the eastern side, notably the cities of Denver and Pueblo,
Colorado, typically receive only about 12 to 19 inches. Thus, the Continental Divide acts as a
barrier for precipitation. This effect applies only to storms traveling west-to-east. When low
pressure systems skirt the Rocky Mountains and approach from the south, they can generate
high precipitation on the eastern side and little or none on the western slope.
 The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, wedged between the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue
Ridge Mountains and partially shielded from moisture from the west and southeast, is much drier
than the very humid remainder of Virginia and the American Southeast.[6]
 Yellowknife, the capital and most populous city in the Northwest Territories of Canada, is located
in the rain shadow of the mountain ranges to the west of the city.
 On the islands of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba and Jamaica, the southwestern sides are in the
rain shadow of the trade winds and can receive as little as 400 millimetres (16 in) per year as
against over 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on the northeastern, windward sides and over 5,000
millimetres (200 in) over some highland areas.
Europe[edit]
 The Pennines of Northern England, Welsh mountains, Lake District and Highlands of
Scotland create a rain shadow that includes most of the eastern United Kingdom, due to the
prevailing south-westerly winds. Manchester and Glasgow, for example, receive around double
the rainfall of Sheffield and Edinburgh respectively (although there are no mountains between
Edinburgh and Glasgow). The contrast is even stronger further north, where Aberdeen gets
around a third of the rainfall of Fort William or Skye. The Fens of East Anglia receive similar
rainfall amounts to Seville.[7]
 The Cantabrian Mountains form a sharp divide between "Green Spain" to the north and the dry
central plateau. The northern-facing slopes receive heavy rainfall from the Bay of Biscay, but the
southern slopes are in rain shadow. The most evident effect on the Iberian Peninsula occurs in
the Almería, Murcia and Alicante areas, each with an average rainfall of 300 mm, which are the
driest spots in Europe (see Cabo de Gata) mostly a result of the mountain range running
through their western side, which blocks the westerlies.
 Some valleys in the inner Alps are also strongly rainshadowed by the high surrounding
mountains: the areas of Gap and Briançon in France, the district of Zernez in Switzerland.
 The eastern part of the Pyrenean mountains in the south of France (Cerdagne).
 The Plains of Limagne and Forez in the northern Massif Central, France, are also relatively
rainshadowed (mostly the plain of Limagne, shadowed by the Chaîne des Puys (up to 2000 mm
of rain a year on the summits and below 600mm at Clermont-Ferrand, which is one of the driest
places in the country).
 The Piedmont wine region of northern Italy is rainshadowed by the mountains that surround it on
nearly every side: Asti receives only 527 mm of precipitation per year, making it one of the driest
places in mainland Italy.[8]
 The valley of the Vardar River and south from Skopje to Athens is in the rain shadow of
the Prokletije and Pindus Mountains. On its windward side the Prokletije has the highest rainfall
in Europe at around 5,000 millimetres (200 in) with small glaciers even at mean annual
temperatures well above 0 °C (32 °F), but the leeward side receives as little as 400 millimetres
(16 in).
 The Scandinavian Mountains create a rain shadow for lowland areas east of the mountain chain
and prevents the Oceanic climate from penetrating further east; thus Bergen, west of the
mountains, receives 2,250 mm precipitation annually while Oslo receives only 760 mm,
and Skjåk, a municipality situated in a deep valley, receives only 280 mm.
Africa[edit]
 The windward side of the island of Madagascar, which sees easterly on-shore winds, is wet
tropical, while the western and southern sides of the island lie in the rain shadow of the central
highlands and are home to thorn forests and deserts. The same is true for the island of Réunion.
On Tristan da Cunha, Sandy Point on the east coast is warmer and drier than the rainy,
windswept settlement of Edinburgh in the west.
 In Western Cape Province, the Breede River Valley and the Karoo lie in the rain shadow of
the Cape Fold Mountains and are arid; whereas the wettest parts of the Cape Mountains can
receive 1,500 millimetres (59 in), Worcester receives only around 200 millimetres (8 in) and is
useful only for grazing.
 The Sahara Desert is made even drier because of two strong rain shadow effects caused by
some major mountains ranges (whose highest points can culminate to more than 4,000 meters
high). To the northwest, the Atlas Mountains, covering the Mediterranean coast
for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as well as to the southeast with the Ethiopian Highlands,
located in Ethiopia around the Horn of Africa. On the windward side of the Atlas Mountains, the
warm, moist winds blowing from the northwest off the Atlantic Oceanwhich contain a lot of water
vapor are forced to rise, lift up and expand over the mountain range. This causes them to cool
down, which causes an excess of moisture to condense into high clouds and results in heavy
precipitation over the mountain range. This is known as orographic rainfall and after this
process, the air is dry because it has lost most of its moisture over the Atlas Mountains. On the
leeward side, the cold, dry air starts to descend and to sink and compress, making the winds
warm up. This warming causes the moisture to evaporate, making clouds disappear. This
prevents rainfall formation and creates desert conditions in the Sahara. The same phenomenon
occurs in the Ethiopian Highlands, but this rain shadow effect is even more pronounced because
this mountain range is larger, with the tropical Monsoon of South Asia coming from the Indian
Ocean and from the Arabian Sea. These produce clouds and rainfall on the windward side of the
mountains, but the leeward side stays rain shadowed and extremely dry. This second extreme
rain shadow effect partially explains the extreme aridity of the eastern Sahara Desert, which is
the driest and the sunniest place on the planet. Similar levels of aridity and dryness are only
seen in the Atacama Desert, located in Chile and Peru.
 Desert regions in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti) such as the Danakil
Desert are all influenced by the air heating and drying produced by rain shadow effect of
the Ethiopian Highlands, too.