What are Cloudbursts?

What are Cloudbursts?

A cloudburst is an extremely high amount of precipitation in a short span of time, it may be accompanied by hail and thunder. It is so strong that it can bring flash floods in regions as cloudburst suddenly dumps or throws a large amount of water. The rainfall rate is equal to or greater than 100 mm. They are more common in mountainous areas but can also occur in terrain areas. In mountainous areas, the warm air currents or thunderstorms follow the sudden upward slope of the mountain which causes cloudbursts. It is not the heavy rainfall that directly causes death and destruction however the consequences of heavy rainfall such as landslides, flash floods, etc destroy establishments and much more....

Basic Mechanism of Cloudburst:

The warm current of air from the terrain region pushes the saturated clouds upwards along the mountains. This updraft movement of warm wind along with clouds forms the Cumulonimbus clouds. Eventually, when it becomes difficult to hold on to so much water vapor and raindrops in the cloud, it sheds water with great strength and velocity. The shedding of intense rainfall over a small area in short-duration causes cloudbursts. One of the most important aspects of cloudbursts is that the Orographic lift is the primary cause of it....

Cloudbursts in India:

Cloud burst incidences have grown during the past many years, especially in the Himalayan area of India. Following these occurrences, landslides and flash floods cause extensive harm to both human life and property. Let us look at a few cloudbursts that have struck India...

Factor Responsible for More Frequent Cloudburst:

There are numerous factors responsible for increasing the frequency of cloudbursts, especially in India. These are:...

Solution to Reduce the Frequency and Effect of Cloudbursts:

Due to global warming, cloudbursts are likely to happen more often now, therefore, it is important to control the disastrous effects such as landslides, flash floods, debris flows, and mass gatherings. This can be commenced by taking measures like...