Where once it had recycled mountain rain into a vast aquifer underneath, its hard bottom now ushers occasional floodwater right out to sea.

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Afghanistan's vast mountain ranges capture enough rain water, but farmers manage to harness only 12-15% of it.

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Springwater is trapped by the terraces, and then evaporates, forms clouds and falls again as rain higher up the mountain.

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Somewhere in the world, rain is falling on a mountain valley or forest, from where it will flow to people in cities like Tanga, Tanzania or Denver, Colorado.

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Thursday's heavy rain led to the cancellation of two mountain stages, before the fourth was scrapped because of mud on the road and stage five was shortened for the same reason.

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National Weather Service forecasters predict a 90 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms Monday and Monday night in the mountain region.

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Even against this backdrop, the Alvord is extraordinarily dry, sitting in a triple rain shadow created by the Coast Range, the Cascades and Steens Mountain.

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If there's more rain, you might expect to see it in the lee of Green Mountain's central peak and there is indeed a rainier strip, the locals say, stretching across the island from Two Boats to Comfortless Cove, a frequent source of teatime drizzle in the rainier months.

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