Rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area that lies on the side of a mountain range facing away from the wind ( lee side ). In such an area there is a much lower amount of precipitation than on the opposite side of the mountain, the windward side, which mostly enjoys uphill rain .
In the rain shadow of mountains, therefore, deserts can often be found, the rain shadow deserts . For example, the highlands of Tibet lie in the rain shadow of the Himalayan mountains , the Rangipo Desert in New Zealand in the rain shadow of the three volcanoes Mount Ruapehu , Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro ; the Atacama , the driest desert on earth, lies in the rain shadow of the Andes .