An arroyo (; from Spanish arroyo Spanish: [aˈroʝo], "brook"), also called a wash, is a dry creek, stream bed or gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Flash floods are common in arroyos following thunderstorms. In Spain and Latin America any small river is called an arroyo, flowing continually all year and never drying. The Spanish term for the subject of this article is rambla, while wadi (Arabic) is used in North Africa, and Western Asia. Arroyos provide a water source to desert animals. The desert dry wash biome is restricted to the arroyos of the southwestern United States.
