Close this window. The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act, [23 U.S.C. Â§ 158], requires that States prohibit persons under 21 years of age from purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages as a condition of receiving State highway funds.
Desert soil is thin and dry and cannot absorb a sudden rainstorm and there are few plants to absorb water. The rain rushes down hillsides and mountains and overflows arroyos, flowing into roads and homes in its path. They can occur suddenly and areas far from the actual storm can be flooded.esert soil is thin and dry and cannot absorb a sudden rainstorm and there are few plants to absorb water. The rain rushes down hillsides and mountains and overflows arroyos, flowing into roads and homes in its path. They can occur suddenly and areas far from the actual storm can be flooded.
Most deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation each year and evaporation usually exceeds rainfall. Deserts â regions where more water evaporates from the ground than is replaced by precipitation â are generally extremely hot, but some, like the Gobi in Asia, experience very cold winters. And deserts that are hot during the day may become cold at night because they lack the insulation provided by clouds and humidity. Plants, animals and other organisms that live in deserts have evolved to survive harsh conditions, scarce water and barren landscapes. Some desert habitats are short-livedâspringing up to brighten the landscape only when the rains come.