Into every life, little rain must fall but if it is heavy it can cause havoc. Sometimes a storm can come out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour — Could end in lightning and thunder.
What is cloudburst?
Cloudburst is a sudden, very heavy rainfall, usually local in nature and of brief duration. Historically, cloudbursts usually do not last for more than a few minutes, however, they are capable of flooding the entire area in no time.
At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst. The term “cloudburst” arose from the notion that clouds were akin to water balloons and could burst, resulting in rapid precipitation. Though this idea has since been disproven, the term remains in use.
How does cloudburst happen?
A cloudburst occurs when moisture-carrying air moves up hilly terrain, forming a vertical column of clouds known as ‘cumulonimbus’ clouds. Such clouds usually cause rain, thunder and lightning. This upward motion of the clouds is known as an ‘orographic lift’
These unstable clouds cause an intense rainstorm over a small area after becoming heavy enough and locked in the ridges and valleys between the hills.
Why does cloudburst happen in hilly areas?
Cloudbursts are common in Mountainous areas. This is probably because the warm air currents of a thunderstorm tend to follow the upward slope of a mountain. The effects of heavy rain are particularly striking on mountain slopes because the falling water is concentrated in valleys and gulleys
Cloudburst connection with thunderstorm
Most so-called cloudbursts occur in connection with thunderstorms. In these storms, there are violent uprushes of air, which at times prevent the condensing raindrops from falling to the ground. A large amount of water may thus accumulate at high levels, and if the upward currents are weakened the whole of this water falls at one time.
How intense can be a cloudburst?
The intensity of rainfall in the most severe cloudbursts can only be conjectured. Rainfall of 2.47 inches (63 mm) in 3 minutes was registered by an automatic rain gauge at Porto Bello, Panama, on November 29, 1911, and one of 1.50 inches (38 mm) in 1 minute was registered at the Barot rain gauge near Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, on November 26, 1970. There have been cases, however, in which the excavations made in the ground by the falling water of a cloudburst appear to indicate an even greater intensity of rainfall.
Can a cloudburst kill you?
Because of the amount of rain involved, a cloudburst can be quite dangerous, especially if it lasts for several hours. Flooding is common with cloudbursts, sweeping away people, animals and land on its way. Topographical conditions like steep hills favour the formation of these clouds. Water flowing down steep slopes brings debris, boulders and uprooted trees with great velocity damaging anything that comes in their way be it a structure or human,
- On August 15, 1997, 115 people were killed when a cloudburst occurred and a trail of death was all that was left behind in Chirgaon in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh.
- 5 dead in Jammu Kashmir’s Kishtwar following cloudburst on 28 July 2021
- A mother and her son were killed in Islamabad on 28 July 2021 as several areas of the capital experienced urban flooding after a cloudburst caused heavy rainfall.
Can it be predicted?
There is no satisfactory technique for anticipating the occurrence of cloud bursts because of their small scale. A very fine network of radars is required to be able to detect the likelihood of a cloud burst and this would be prohibitively expensive. Only the areas likely to receive heavy rainfall can be identified on a short-range scale. Much of the damage can be avoided by way of identifying the areas and the meteorological situations that favour the occurrence of cloud bursts.
