A rain shadow desert is exactly what it sounds like, a desert formed in the shadow of rain. The problem is, the rain is going somewhere else, like the side of a mountain, while the desert side of the mountain gets little to none in terms of precipitation. Thats where the formation of a desert occurs. The reason one side of the mountain gets all the rain is the wind that is carrying the moisture is forced up as it climbs the mountain. As the wind gets higher up the mountain, it becomes cooler and unable to hold all the moisture it is carrying. The result is it dumps virtually all the moisture on that side of the mountain. When it tops the mountain and starts down the other side, there is no moisture left, so that side of the mountain gets no rain. Hence, desert conditions prevail.
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