An area that has not seen a drop of rain in millions of years.. the driest on Earth

Arabia Weather - Imagine living your life in a place where you have not witnessed a single drop of water falling from the sky, and you do not get the opportunity to see rain or even hail and snow falling before your eyes throughout your life.

Dry Valleys...the driest on Earth

But this dry and arid scenario is actually embodied in one of the driest regions on Earth, Antarctica, in an area known as the Dry Valleys . This area has not seen rainfall for nearly two million years.

In this vast area of 4,800 square kilometers, there is no rain at all. It is an area completely devoid of water, ice and even snow.

Why doesn't rain fall in dry valleys?

The reason for the lack of rain in this region is due to the influence of the Katabati winds , which are very humid mountain winds that move down and away from the valleys.

It boils down to the shape of the mountains in this region, as these mountains change the path of the ice that heads towards the ocean. Because of these changes in the path of the ice, water does not reach the dry valleys and rain does not fall there.

Despite the white-washed landscape surrounding this area, the Dry Valleys are completely dry, with no ice or snow despite the freezing temperatures.

Ferris Hills (NASA)

The driest "Fris Hills" in the Dry Valleys

The Ferris Hills in Taylor Valley are among the driest places in the Dry Valleys network. It is estimated that this region has not seen rainfall for approximately 14 million years. In this area, winds are strong at around 200 mph, limiting the opportunity for moisture to build up in the atmosphere.

It is noteworthy that studies and research by the Geological Society of America revealed at its annual meeting in Denver in 2013 that water has not flowed through the “Fris Hills” in Antarctica for 14 million years, according to the “Live Science” website.

The Ferris Hills, which extend up to 600 meters above Antarctica's Taylor Valley, are part of the Dry Valleys of western McMurdo Sound. Through excavations in this area, it is clear that there are traces of tundra moss and a lake that covered the flat-topped hills, when the Earth’s climate was warmer more than 14 million years ago.

Ferris Hills (Adam Lewis, NDSU)

Source: alarabiya