What is cloudburst?

At times mother nature can be violent. The most violent form of nature is storms that can cause widespread destruction. Cloudburst is also a violent phenomenon of nature; it is a sudden rainstorm coupled with happy precipitation and thundering.

The cloudburst brings extreme rain in a short period and  can cause flash floods in urban and rural areas. Vernacularly the term cloudburst is used for a brief, sudden and heavy rainstorm that is usually unforecsated.

Hydrology of cloudburst

In pure hydrological terms, the cloudburst happens due to the phenomenon of orographic lift. The orographic lift occurs when water vapors are forced from low elevation to higher elevation and suddenly cool down. Resultantly, a sudden condensation takes place, the humidity level rises to 100% which leads to heavy precipitation in a brief time.

Causes of cloudburst

 

1. Replacement of existing clouds by the new clouds which are cooled down easily
2. Due to the failure of the updraft phenomenon
3. When clouds with high density stop at one place

 

Effects of cloudburst

1. Urban flooding
2. Flash floods
3. Infrastructural losses
4. Communication stoppage
5. Loss of human lives