As the monsoon set in over the region, torrential rain due to cloudburst led to swollen mountain streams and rivers leading to destruction of human life and infrastructure.
About Cloudburst
- It refers to particularly heavy precipitation in a short period of time over a limited geographical area.
- India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines it as a precipitation exceeding 100mm per hour over a geographical region of approximately 20 to 30 square km.
- They occur only via orographic lift or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation.
- Orographic lifting is a weather process where moist air is forced to rise over a physical barrier like a mountain. In this phenomenon
- Warm air ascends the mountain slope and expands due to lower atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes.
- As it expands and cools, the air releases its moisture in the form of precipitation.
- When large volumes of warm, moist air keep rising and accumulating moisture without releasing it, it can lead to a sudden, violent downpour can lead to cloudburst.
- Orographic lifting is a weather process where moist air is forced to rise over a physical barrier like a mountain. In this phenomenon
Cloudbursts Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (National Disaster Management Plan, 2019)
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