A cloudburst is an extremely intense rainfall event over a relatively small geographical area within a short period.

In India, cloudbursts are particularly associated with mountainous regions, especially the Himalayas, where they can trigger flash floods and landslides.

Key Pointers

  • Category: Geography / Disaster Management
  • Extremely intense, localised rainfall.
  • Occurs over a short duration.
  • Often associated with convective clouds.
  • Particularly significant in:
    • Himalayas
    • Hilly terrain
  • Can trigger:
    • Flash floods
    • Landslides
    • Debris flows
    • Infrastructure damage
  • Difficult to predict precisely because of its highly localised nature.
  • Climate change may influence the intensity/frequency of extreme precipitation events, but individual cloudbursts cannot automatically be attributed to climate change.

Prelims Focus: Cloudburst → intense + short duration + localised rainfall → flash flood/landslide risk.