Why cloudbursts have killed hundreds in India and Pakistan this monsoon season
Cloudbursts have caused devastation in Pakistan and India during the monsoon. These intense rain events led to flash floods and landslides, resulting in numerous fatalities. Experts attribute cloudbursts to warm, moist monsoon winds colliding with cold mountain air. Global warming exacerbates the issue. Predicting cloudbursts remains challenging, but monitoring efforts are underway to improve early warnings.
PTI Massive, sudden downpours of rain known as cloudbursts have struck Pakistan and India during this monsoon season, killing hundreds of people in the flash floods and landslides they have triggered. WHAT ARE CLOUDBURSTS AND WHY DO THEY OCCUR? By a widely accepted definition, a cloudburst means more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rainfall in one hour, over a small area. This year, the monsoon, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and then sweeps westwards across northern India to Pakistan every summer, has brought deadly cloudbursts. Weather studies say cloudbursts typically occur in South Asia when warm, monsoon winds, laden with moisture, meet the cold mountain air in the north of India and Pakistan, causing condensation. With a warming planet, the monsoon has hotter air, which can carry more moisture. India's weather department data shows cloudbursts are most common in the Himalayan regions of Indian Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Fahad Saeed, a senior climate scientist at Berlin-based Climate Analytics, said that in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the warm monsoon system coming from the east was meeting colder air coming from the west, from the subtropical jet stream - a high-altitude weather system that originates in the Mediterranean. Global warming is pushing this jet stream further south in summer, he said, where it can now combine with the lower-level clouds of the monsoon in Pakistan, forming a tower of clouds which then generatesg intense rain. Similar intense rainfall, though triggered by different local factors, takes place around the world, such as the floods in Texas in July, when more than 300 mm of rain fell in less than an hour, sending a wall of water down the Guadalupe River.
This monsoon season has so far seen at least four major deadly cloudbursts, including in Uttarakhand, India, where video captured the moment when village buildings were swept down a mountain, and in Buner, in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan, where more than 200 people died after at least 150 mm of rain fell within an hour.
S D Sanap, a scientist with the India Meteorological Department's Pune office, said such cloudburst events were becoming more frequent in the western Himalayas, which run across India and into Pakistan, but pinning the rise on a single cause was not easy. The cloudburst events on both sides of the border were triggered the same way: very moist monsoon air, upslope winds, and storms that stalled over valleys, said Moetasim Ashfaq, a weather expert based in the U.S. If a cloudburst happens over flat land, the rainfall spreads over a wide area, so the impact is less severe, said Pradeep Dangol, a senior hydrology research associate at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Nepal. But in steep mountain valleys, the rain is concentrated into narrow streams and slopes, with the potential to trigger flash floods and landslides, he said. Forecasting such events days in advance is nearly impossible, though radars can track the build-up of dense cloud formations and give short-term warnings of intense downpours, Sanap said. To strengthen monitoring, the India Meteorological Department has installed new radars across the Himalayas and set up observatories aimed at improving early warnings and understanding of these extreme weather events. Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, who leads risk assessment at Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, part of the government, said that it was possible to warn about the general area but not possible to pinpoint the exact location in advance where a cloudburst will happen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
3 minutes ago
- Mint
School Holiday: Are schools closed in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune on August 21 amid rains? Check here
After almost three days of school holidays, post the long Independence Day weekend, and with heavy rainfall still predicted for Maharashtra districts such as Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Navi Mumbai on Thursday, the normal routine is likely to remain disrupted for another day. The schools in most districts will remain open on Thursday, August 21. There have been no official announcements for a holiday in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, or Thane yet. However, the Lonavala Municipal Council has announced a holiday for all schools tomorrow following heavy rains. The order applies to all primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools within the council limits, across every management and medium of instruction. Officials said the step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure student safety, considering the continuous heavy rains in Lonavala and the surrounding areas. Despite an alert for heavy rains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the rainfall intensity is expected to ease from Thursday. The weather agency said the rainfall activity is likely to reduce over Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra from today onwards with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over north Konkan, including Mumbai, and isolated very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall (≥21 cm) over North Madhya Maharashtra on 20th and isolated heavy rainfall over the region during the next 3 days. However, light to moderate rainfall is still predicted for most/many places very likely over the region during the next 7 days. According to the weather department's weekly forecast, Mumbai will receive heavy rainfall until Thursday, 21 August. However, the rainfall is expected to continue throughout the week. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Mumbai is receiving heavy rainfall due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and the strengthening of monsoon winds.
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
U'khand sees 30% surge in disaster toll, deadliest in recent yrs
Dehradun: Uttarakhand has seen an over 30% rise in disaster-related casualties this year, making 2025 the deadliest in recent years even as the monsoon is far from over, according to data from the state emergency operation centre (SEOC). So far, 239 people have been affected—61 confirmed dead, 84 missing, and 94 injured. The toll has already surpassed last year's 110 casualties (82 dead and 28 missing) and exceeded the figures from 2023, when nearly 100 lives were lost in weather-related incidents. The figures are now approaching those of 2021, when 298 people died and over 50 went missing in natural calamities. That year, a flash flood in Chamoli, triggered by a rock-ice avalanche, killed 204, making it the second-worst disaster after the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy, when thousands perished. Experts warn that while the Himalayan terrain makes the state inherently disaster-prone, the rising scale of loss underscores shortcomings in planning and preparedness. "Landslides, cloudbursts and other heavy rain-linked disasters will continue in the hills due to the topography. What is important is whether we are learning from these incidents and adopting mitigation measures to minimise human loss," said disaster adaptation expert and former Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) executive director Piyoosh Rautela. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo One of this year's worst calamities was the Aug 5 flash flood in Dharali, a village near the Gangotri highway in Uttarkashi. Triggered by an extreme weather event in the upper catchment, it destroyed homes, fields and infrastructure. Official records confirm one death, but around 68 remain missing, including 25 Nepali workers who were engaged in local projects. Rescue efforts have been hampered by huge boulders, unstable slopes and a temporary lake in Harsil that continues to pose risks of breaching. Calling Dharali a "classic example" of misplaced habitation, Rautela stressed the need to enforce a flood zonation plan in "true letter and spirit" to prevent such tragedies. With the monsoon still underway, officials fear the toll could climb further, accentuating the urgency for stronger disaster management in the Himalayan state. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Economic Times
36 minutes ago
- Economic Times
When mountains trap storms: The deadly mechanics of cloudbursts which have killed over 700 in Pakistan
Synopsis Pakistan is reeling from one of the deadliest monsoon seasons in recent memory, with more than 700 people killed since June. Flash floods triggered by cloudbursts have flattened homes, swept away farmland, and paralysed Karachi. Scientists link these disasters to rising temperatures and unstable weather patterns fuelled by climate change. From glacial melt in the Himalayas to torrential rains in Sindh, the human and economic toll is growing. Authorities warn more intense downpours could hit until mid-September. ANI Pakistan's Karachi reels under unprecedented monsoon rains; six killed, flights hit Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that 706 people have died in rain-related incidents since 26 June. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains the worst affected with 427 deaths, followed by Punjab with 164, Sindh with 29, Balochistan with 22, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with 56, and eight in than 25,000 people have been rescued so far, NDMA chief Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said. The agency has warned that heavy monsoon spells are likely to continue until 10 September. In Karachi, torrential rains over two days inundated major roads, broke drainage systems, and left large parts of the city without power and internet. At least eight people were killed in separate incidents, including electrocutions and house Murtaza Wahab declared a rain emergency and urged residents to remain indoors. 'It is expected to rain again from 2pm onwards. I would request people to avoid movement and if it starts to rain, please stay put where you are whether it is your office or residence,' he at Jinnah International Airport were delayed, cancelled, or diverted. Authorities deployed 26 de-watering pumps to clear standing water, while several bypasses and main roads were closed. Addressing a press conference, Wahab acknowledged the scale of the crisis. 'Climate change is a reality. If you want to make someone a target of criticism and say whatever you want, you can. But, you can see how huge a challenge climate change is for any government, state, or administration around the world.'The devastation has been worsened by cloudbursts, sudden downpours that unleash more than 100 millimetres of rain in an hour over a small area. These events are often described as 'rain bombs' because of their explosive nature.'Mountains create conducive conditions where the rapid updraft movement of air happens,' said Dr Sandeep Pattnaik, Associate Professor at the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar.'Because atmospheric instability is often caused by the mixing of different air masses, particularly over the northwestern Himalayan mountainous region, it leads to the rapid and large-scale accumulation of water vapour over certain locations.'He explained that when this water vapour builds up beyond a threshold, the clouds collapse. 'Once the excess accumulation of this water vapour and associated hydrometeors, called water loading, exceeds a certain threshold, the cloud is no longer able to hold that water, hence it releases large amounts of water over a short period.'As reported by Reuters, Fahad Saeed, a senior climate scientist at Berlin-based Climate Analytics, said that in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the warm monsoon system coming from the east was meeting colder air coming from the west, from the subtropical jet stream - a high-altitude weather system that originates in the warming is pushing this jet stream further south in summer, he said, where it can now combine with the lower-level clouds of the monsoon in Pakistan, forming a tower of clouds which then generatesg intense intense rainfall, though triggered by different local factors, takes place around the world, such as the floods in Texas in July, when more than 300 mm of rain fell in less than an hour, sending a wall of water down the Guadalupe Buner district, a single cloudburst claimed as many as 300 lives. Flash floods and landslides destroyed entire villages, while boulders crashing down steep slopes reduced homes to one case, 24 members of a family in Qadar Nagar died on the eve of a wedding when their house was swept away. Umar Khan, the head of the family, said he survived only because he was not home at the time. Four of his relatives are still India has faced similar disasters this season. Uttarakhand was struck by a cloudburst earlier this month, flooding the Himalayan village of Dharali. The event revived memories of the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, which killed more than 6,000 people and affected over 4,500 a cloudburst happens over flat land, the rainfall spreads over a wide area, so the impact is less severe, said Pradeep Dangol, a senior hydrology research associate at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in in steep mountain valleys, the rain is concentrated into narrow streams and slopes, with the potential to trigger flash floods and landslides, he Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges combine with moist monsoon winds to create conditions ripe for cloudbursts. Scientists say these events are becoming more frequent as the atmosphere warms.'Whenever an event happens, it is a multidimensional issue. One thing is very sure, because the atmosphere gets warmer, erratic patterns develop. A rise in temperature leads to holding more water vapour, and it will lead to more rainfall,' Dr Pattnaik told India Khan, a former special secretary for climate change in Pakistan, warned: 'Rising global temperatures have supercharged the hydrologic cycle, leading to more intense and erratic rainfall. In our northern regions, warming accelerates glacier melt, adds excessive moisture to the atmosphere, and destabilises mountain slopes. In short, climate change is making rare events more frequent, and frequent events more destructive.'Cloudbursts remain almost impossible to forecast. Asfandyar Khan Khattak, an official from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, admitted: 'There was no forecasting system anywhere in the world that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst.'Even in areas with early warning systems, such as Buner district, the sudden intensity of the rainfall struck before alerts could be organisations in northern Pakistan advise residents to avoid building near rivers or valleys, to keep emergency kits ready, and to postpone travel in hilly regions during heavy rains. They also stress the importance of afforestation and widening riverbanks to absorb excess warming has already breached the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set in the Paris Agreement. The Himalayas could lose up to 80 per cent of their glaciers by the end of this century if current trends Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast further heavy rainfall in Sindh, Balochistan, and parts of Punjab in the coming days, warning of possible urban flooding in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar, and rains continue and floodwaters rise, Pakistan's struggle underlines a larger truth. The monsoon is shifting, becoming less predictable and more destructive, and its impacts are falling hardest on those least prepared to withstand them.
