dry washes
Waterless desert channels
Dry washes are arroyos or streambeds that carry water only during or after rainfall.
Common in arid regions of the American Southwest, they remain dusty channels most of the year but can flash flood during storms: We hiked through a dry wash in the canyon.
The plural appears frequently in desert terrain descriptions.
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
- wadiIntermittent desert watercourse
- channelPassage for transmission
- gulchSteep narrow ravine
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
dust · streambed · sandy bottom · canyon floor · slot canyons · erosion · ravine · parchedness · ephemeral streams · sand · drainage basins · flash flood warning · monsoon season · alluvium · desert landscape · gravel · silting · water harvesting