CBSE Class 9 Answered

Cloudburst is a sudden and heavy rainfall. It is a sudden aggressive rainstorm falling for a short period of time limited to a small geographical area. It is sometimes mixed with hail and thunder, which normally lasts no longer than a few minutes but is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts descend from very high clouds, sometimes with tops above 15 kilometers.

Generally cloudbursts are associated with thunderstorms. The air currents rushing upwards in a rainstorm hold up a large amount of water. If these currents suddenly cease, the entire amount of water descends on to a small area with catastrophic force all of a sudden and causes mass destruction. This is due to a rapid condensation of the clouds.

They occur most often in desert and mountainous regions, and in interior regions of continental landmasses.

The rain from a cloudburst has a fall rate equal to or greater than 100mm per hour. During a cloudburst, more than 2 cm of rain may fall in a few minutes.