The term comes from the idea that clouds become akin to balloons filled with water and burst all at once.

Cloudbursts dump momentous amounts of water over a highly localized region. What are cloudbursts and what causes them?Д¬loudburst are sudden, extreme rainfall events happering in a very short duration of time. As per South Asia Network of Dams, Rivers and People, there were at least 24 reported events in Uttarakhand this year from the beginning of May to June 3, 2021.ДЄpart from the two hill states, India has seen some more significant cloudbursts in the recent times, majorly in the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Leh as well as the state of Maharashtra. Cloudburst in Uttarakhand (IANS) A western disturbance (WD) lies over central Pakistan and the west Rajasthan region and an extended low-pressure area runs as a trough till Assam. Several shops and vehicles are reportedly buried under mud and debris. Several cloudbursts happen each year and cause significant damage. A cloud burst was reported in the Binsar hill area of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on May 4, 2021. In the two states, cloudbursts and resulting flooding and landslide events are estimated to have claimed more than 6,000 casualties in the last two decades. Since 1997, the two states combined have seen at least 14 major cloudburst incidents, including the catastrophic 2013 event that caused significant damage and unprecedented casualties near the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand. Orange alert has been sounded in the area for the next five days with the met department prediction heavy to very heavy rainfall.Д¬loudbursts and accompanying flash floods have become increasingly common in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the 21 st Century. The occurrence of cloudburst in the recent years has increased abruptly.

Both the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister are closely monitoring the situation. Rivers in the region have been overflowing after extremely heavy rainfall.

Cloudburst in uttarakhand