does rain clouds carry moisture from where they originated?

Question

i.e from a hurricane in the gulf of mexico to arizona

Answer 1

To some extent, yes. A hurricane is just a giant heat engine, which means a parcel of air drawn in near the bottom will have a considerable residence time before it is discharged at the top or flows down into the eye. While running thru, the parcel will gradually give up its energy content by condensation of water vapor. So, water evaporating over the gulf could generate the clouds and rain seen in Arizona.

This process also means of course that new cloud is continuously forming from inflow while old cloud in outflow evaporates. A storm moving into Arizona may also still have feeder bands extending to the gulf, but in general the deep moisture supply will be gone as it also draws in air from the drier surroundings, so considerable weakening will have occurred.

Answer 2

This is true with monsoons and storms.For example, the south-west monsoon which blows during June to September in South India originates from the southern hemisphere, and travels a long distance over the sea surface carrying a lot of moisture and emptying them over the west coast of the peninsular India and over the foot hills of the Himalayas.When there is a storm(hurricanes ,cyclones), you can see, in the satellite picture,a very long feeding band ,sometimes hundred of miles long over the oceans,which are nothing but moisture carrying clouds moving towards the centre of the storm resulting in heavy rains around the wall of the storm.

Answer 3

Most of the time u don't see the moisture until it rises high in the atmosphere where it is cool and u will be able to see the moisture as a cloud.

Answer 4

Yes, a cloud will carry moisture from where it was originally taken and drop it elsewhere.