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.
How Deserts are Formed. Deserts are formed when rain clouds run into wind or mountains and drop rain in one area, leaving the land further away dry. Deserts that form near bodies of water are usually caused by winds. For example, the Sahara desert, near the Mediterranean. Deserts near mountains are formed when rain clouds drop their rain on one side, and the land on the other side of the mountains stays dry.