Why does it rain in the desert?

Answer 1

Any amount of moisture that reaches the desert floor has survived two things: the rain shadow effect which blocks most moisture from going to the other side of mountains, and overcoming the intense heat. Many times because the heat is too intense, most rain evaporates before it hits the ground. The only amount of rain that could make it past would have to be a large amount of moisture.

Answer 2

Some Deserts can be cold because of the type of environment they are in; some deserts can even be where the Arctic tundra are. Also, when it gets dark in the desert the temperature drops immediately because there is so little to retain the heat (water is great at keeping temperatures steady).

Answer 3

Snow, as well as rain, is very rare in the Atacama and only occurs when a storm system is strong enough to cross the Andes Mountains with sufficient moisture to drop a light dusting in the higher altitudes of the desert. Some areas of the Atacama have gone over 400 years without so much as a drop of rain or a snowflake. In 2011 a strong Antarctic storm pushed over the mountains and dropped a few feet of snow in the higher elevations of the desert., especially in Bolivia. Quite a number of people were stranded and required rescue.

Answer 4

It is a matter of geographic location. Deserts located the farthest from the equator tend to be cold deserts. However, even some of these cold deserts can still have very hot summer temperatures.

Answer 5

Deserts generally have few clouds and little humidity which would help to insulate and prevent heat of the day from radiating back into space. Therefore, with little insulation, the deserts cool off rapidly after the sun sets. In the summer the desert does not get cold at night but is much cooler than during the day.

Answer 6

A desert is cold because it is made out of sand, and sand cannot retain heat from he sun for a very long time

Answer 7

Yes, snow occasionally falls in a desert, especially those deserts classified as cold winter deserts. However, snow also may fall on rare occasions even in hot subtropical deserts.