đź•’ Last updated on August 18, 2025
Mountainous regions of Pakistan and India are experiencing pandemonium due to cloudbursts. In numerous areas, these abrupt and intense downpours have caused catastrophic floods, landslides, and devastation. Hundreds of lives have been lost, villages have been flattened, and rivers of mud and rock have swept away homes.
These weather events are not just ordinary rainfall. They are powerful and intense storms that release enormous amounts of water in a very short time. The results are often deadly.
What exactly is a cloudburst?
A cloudburst is like the sudden bursting of a cloud that releases all its water at once. It is often compared to a “rain bomb” because the amount of water falling in minutes or an hour is what usually takes several hours or even days to accumulate during normal rainfall.
Scientists define a cloudburst as rainfall of more than 100 millimeters, or about 4 inches, within an hour over a small area. The affected region is usually no larger than 30 square kilometers, which is about the size of a small town.
Unlike steady rain, cloudbursts are violent and concentrated. The sudden release of water triggers flash floods, landslides, and mudflows. In hilly and mountainous regions, boulders and debris rush down the slopes, smashing into anything that lies in their path. Within minutes, they can destroy homes, bridges, and entire villages.
One of the worst recent events happened in Pakistan’s northwestern district of Buner, where around 300 people lost their lives. The walls of water and rock swallowed homes and left the region in ruins. In India, the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has also faced cloudbursts, with floodwaters rushing into villages like Dharali. People still recall the disaster of 2013 in Uttarakhand when more than 6,000 lives were lost and thousands of villages were affected after a massive cloudburst.
Why do cloudbursts happen in India and Pakistan?
Cloudbursts need three things to occur—moisture, mountains, and monsoons. India and Pakistan have all three in abundance, making them highly vulnerable.
When warm, moist air rises and hits a mountain slope, it is forced upwards. As it rises, it cools and condenses into thick clouds capable of producing heavy rain. The tall mountains, such as the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush, often trap these clouds, preventing them from moving away.
Inside the clouds, powerful upward air currents keep the moisture suspended. This delays rainfall, allowing more and more water to accumulate. Eventually, the clouds cannot hold the moisture any longer. When they release it, all the water falls at once, creating the violent burst of rainfall we call a cloudburst.
The South Asian monsoon system adds to this problem. Traditionally, monsoon rains move across the region from June to September and again between October and December. However, warmer air in recent years has caused the rains to behave in less predictable ways. Instead of steady rainfall, the region now experiences longer dry spells broken by sudden, intense downpours.
The Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean provide constant moisture, which fuels these storms. Combined with the steep mountain slopes, this creates the perfect recipe for cloudbursts.
Why are cloudbursts becoming more frequent and dangerous?
Experts say that cloudbursts are not only happening more often but are also becoming more destructive. Several reasons explain this trend.
First, the warming of the atmosphere allows air to hold more moisture. For every 1°C rise in temperature, the air can hold about 7% more water. This means when rain does fall, it is often heavier and more sudden.
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Second, the warming of nearby seas like the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea pushes even more moisture into the atmosphere. This excess water vapor can lead to extreme rainfall events once conditions trigger a cloudburst.
Third, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and nearby ranges is changing local weather patterns. As glaciers retreat, they release water and destabilize mountain slopes. This makes flash floods and landslides more severe when cloudbursts occur.
Fourth, human activities are worsening the impact. Deforestation, loss of wetlands, and unplanned construction in mountain regions reduce the land’s natural ability to absorb water. Without forests and wetlands to slow down runoff, rainwater rushes down the slopes, turning into destructive floods.
The combined effect is clear. When a cloudburst strikes, the amount of damage is now much greater than it used to be. Villages built close to rivers, valleys, and unstable mountain slopes are at the greatest risk. Roads, bridges, and farmlands also suffer widespread destruction.
Cloudbursts are one of the most dangerous natural events faced by mountain communities in India and Pakistan. They strike suddenly, often without warning, and leave behind massive loss of life and property. With changing climate conditions, rising temperatures, and unplanned development, the frequency and intensity of these events continue to rise, turning what was once rare into a frighteningly common occurrence.