Abstract
In the past decade, the southern rim of the Himalayas experienced several anomalous weather events such as cloudbursts, extreme precipitation, flash floods, and avalanches due to a changing climate. The topography and orography process of the Indian Himalayas facilitates a favorable condition to cloudbursts. These events mostly appear during the monsoon period and are elusive corresponding to their geographical position and associated impacts due to a lack of monitoring and data observations. The sudden downpour of rainfall in a range of 100–250 mm/h in a short span covering a smaller spatial extent similar to 1 km2 is typically defined as a cloudburst event. On the other hand, according to the India Meteorological Department, if the rainfall occurs more than 100 mm/h with strong winds and lightning over an area of 20–30 km2 is termed a cloudburst. Interestingly, the elevation band where the occurrence of such events is frequent lies between 1000 to 2000 m which are densely populated valley folds of the Himalayas. Some studies derived that mostly cloudbursts occur and are expected to occur in low elevation high-temperature zones of topoclimate regimes of the Himalayas which receive low rainfall and exhibit high land surface temperature ranging from 18° C to 28° C in July and August. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the physical driving processes such as atmospheric circulations, thermodynamics, orographic lifting, and its distribution based on analytical and geospatial approaches to know the triggering factors of cloudburst events and invigoration of the convection process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anders, A., Roe, G., Hallet, B., Montgomery, D., Finnegan, N., & Putkonen, J. (2006). Spatial patterns of precipitation and topography in the Himalaya. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 398, 39–532398. https://doi.org/10.1130/2006.2398(03)
Bandyopadhyay, J. (2013). Securing the Himalayas as the water tower of Asia. An environmental perspective. Asia Policy, 16(1), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1353/asp.2013.0042
Barros, A. P., & Lettenmaier, D. P. (1994). Dynamic modeling of orographically induced precipitation. Reviews of Geophysics, 32(3), 265. https://doi.org/10.1029/94RG00625
Baykal, A. (2012). The City of Copenhagen cloudburst management plan 2012. NORDISK MILJØMÆRKNING. Available online at https://en.klimatilpasning.dk/media/665626/cph_-_cloudburst_management_plan.pdf
Das, S., Ashrit, R., & Moncrieff, M. W. (2006). Simulation of a Himalayan cloudburst event. Journal of Earth System Science, 115(3), 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02702044
Deoja, B. B., Dhital, M., & Thapa, B. (1991). Mountain risk engineering handbook. With assistance of F. of the A.O. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Deshpande, N. R., Kothawale, D. R., Kumar, V., & Kulkarni, J. R. (2018). Statistical characteristics of cloud burst and mini-cloud burst events during monsoon season in India. International Journal of Climatology, 38(11), 4172–4188. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5560
Dimri, A. P., Thayyen, R. J., Kibler, K., Stanton, A., Jain, S. K., Tullos, D., & Singh, V. P. (2016). A review of atmospheric and land surface processes with emphasis on flood generation in the Southern Himalayan rivers. The Science of the total environment, 556, 98–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.206
Dimri, A. P., Chevuturi, A., Niyogi, D., Thayyen, R. J., Ray, K., Tripathi, S. N., et al. (2017). Cloudbursts in Indian Himalayas. A review. Earth-Science Reviews, 168(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.03.006
Draxler, R. R., & Rolph, G. D. HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model. NOAA. Air Resources Laboratory. Available online at http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready/hysplit4.html
Gruntfest, E., & Handmer, J. (Eds.). (2001). Coping with flash floods. Springer Netherlands.
Joshi, V., & Kumar, K. (2006). Extreme rainfall events and associated natural hazards in Alaknanda valley, Indian Himalayan region. Journal of Mountain Science, 3(3), 228–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-006-0228-0
Kelsch, M., Caporali, E., & Lanza, L. G. (2001). Hydrometeorology of flash floods. In E. Gruntfest & J. Handmer (Eds.), Coping with flash floods (pp. 19–35). Springer Netherlands.
Krishnan, R., Shrestha, A. B., Ren, G., Rajbhandari, R., Saeed, S., Sanjay, J., et al. (2019). Unravelling climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Rapid warming in the mountains and increasing extremes. In P. Wester, A. Mishra, A. Mukherji, & A. B. Shrestha (Eds.), The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment: Mountains, climate change, sustainability and people (pp. 57–97). Springer International Publishing.
Kumar, A., Houze, R. A., Rasmussen, K. L., & Peters-Lidard, C. (2014). Simulation of a flash flooding storm at the steep edge of the Himalayas. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 15(1), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-0155.1
Kumar, A., Gupta, A. K., Bhambri, R., Verma, A., Tiwari, S. K., & Asthana, A. K. L. (2018). Assessment and review of hydrometeorological aspects for cloudburst and flash flood events in the third pole region (Indian Himalaya). Polar Science, 18(18), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2018.08.004
Mishra, P. K., Singh, H., Thayyen, R. J., Das, S., Nema, M. K., Kumar, P. (Eds.). (2021). Block level livelihood vulnerability index of a Himalayan district in Upper Ganga Basin. In 25th HYDRO 2020, International Conference. Rourkela, 26–28 March 2021. National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha. online: HYDRO 2020. Available online at http://117.252.14.250:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6283/1/Block%20level%20Livelihood%20Vulnerability%20Index%20of%20a%20Himalayan%20district%20in%20upper%20Ganga%20basin.pdf
Mishra, P. K., Thayyen, R. J., Singh, H., Das, S., Nema, M. K., & Kumar, P. (2022). Assessment of cloudbursts, extreme rainfall and vulnerable regions in the Upper Ganga basin, Uttarakhand, India. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 69, 102744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102744
Qazi, N., Jain, S., Thayyen, R., Patil, P., & Singh, M. (2020). Hydrology of the Himalayas. In Himalayan weather and climate and their impact on the environment (pp. 419–450). Springer.
Ramage, C. S., & Schroeder, T. A. (1999). Trade wind rainfall atop Mount Waialeale, Kauai. Monthly Weather Review, 127(9), 2217–2226. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1999)127<2217:TWRAMW>2.0.CO;2
Ray, K., Bhan, S. C., & Bandopadhyay, B. K. (2015). The catastrophe over Jammu and Kashmir in September 2014: Q meteorological observational analysis. Current Science, 109(3). Available online at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278021322_The_Catastrophe_over_Jammu_and_Kashmir_in_September_2014_A_Meteorological_Observational_Analysis
Reay, D., Sabine, C., Smith, P., & Hymus, G. (2007). Climate change 2007. Spring-time for sinks. Nature, 446(7137), 727–728. https://doi.org/10.1038/446727a
Romatschke, U., & Houze, R. A. (2011). Characteristics of precipitating convective systems in the South Asian Monsoon. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 12(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JHM1289.1
Roy, A. B., & Purohit, R. (2018). Chapter 17 - The Himalayas. In A. B. Roy & R. Purohit (Eds.), Evolution through collision (pp. 311–327). Elsevier.
Sati, V. (2018). Cloudburst-triggered natural hazards in Uttarakhand Himalaya. Mechanism, prevention, and mitigation. International Journal of Geological and Environmental Engineering, 12, 45–48.
Shrestha, P., Dimri, A. P., Schomburg, A., & Simmer, C. (2015). Improved understanding of an extreme rainfall event at the Himalayan foothills – A case study using COSMO. Tellus A: Dynamic meteorology and oceanography, 67(1), 26031. https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v67.26031
Shukla, D., Dubey, C., Ningreichon, A., & Usham, A. (2013). Orographic Control of the Kedarnath disaster. Current Science, 105, 1474–1476.
Sikka, D. R., Ray, K., Chakravarthy, K., Bhan, S. C., & Tyagi, A. (2015). Heavy rainfall in the Kedarnath valley of Uttarakhand during the advancing monsoon phase in June 2013. Current Science, 109(2), 353–361. Available online at http://www.jstor.org/stable/24905863
Smith, R. B. (1979). The influence of mountains on the atmosphere. In B. Saltzman (Ed.), Advances in geophysics (Vol. 21, pp. 87–230). Elsevier.
Sravana Kumar, M., Shekhar, M. S., Rama Krishna, S. S. V. S., Bhutiyani, M. R., & Ganju, A. (2012). Numerical simulation of cloud burst event on August 05, 2010, over Leh using WRF mesoscale model. Natural Hazards, 62(3), 1261–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0145-1
Srivastava, K., & Bhardwaj, R. (2014). Real-time nowcast of a cloudburst and a thunderstorm event with assimilation of Doppler weather radar data. Natural Hazards, 70(2), 1357–1383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0878-5
Sun, J., & Wang, H. (2012). Changes of the connection between the summer North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Asian summer rainfall. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117(D8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017482
Sundriyal, Y. P., Shukla, A. D., Rana, N., Jayangondaperumal, R., Srivastava, P., Chamyal, L. S., et al. (2015). Terrain response to the extreme rainfall event of June 2013. Evidence from the Alaknanda and Mandakini River Valleys, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Episodes, 38(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2015/v38i3/004
Thakur, V. C. (2000). Cloudburst floods and flash floods caused by landslide and debris flow dam failures in the Indian Himalayas. In ICIMOD, Newsletter of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, 38, pp. 10–11. Available online at https://eurekamag.com/research/003/385/003385136.php
Thayyen, R. J., Dimri, A. P., Kumar, P., & Agnihotri, G. (2013). Study of cloudburst and flash floods around Leh, India, during August 4–6, 2010. Natural Hazards, 65(3), 2175–2204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0464-2
Thayyen, R. J., Singh, M. K., & Dimri, A. P. (2020). Visual evidence of constrained area of a cloudburst, 12 June 2018, Tirisha Village, Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India. JCC, 6(2), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.3233/JCC200011
Thayyen, R. J., Mishra, P. K., Jain, S. K., Wani, J. M., Singh, H., Singh, M. K., & Yadav, B. (2021). Hanging glacier avalanche (Raunthigad - Rishiganga) and Debris flow disaster of 7th February 2021, Uttarakhand, India, A preliminary assessment. Natural Hazards, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05454-0
Upadhyay, D. S. (1995). Cold climate hydrometeorology. Wiley/New Age International (P) Ltd. Publishers.
Vikram, G., Dobhal, D. P., & Vaideswaran, S. C. (2013). August 2012 cloudburst and subsequent flash flood in the Asi Ganga, a tributary of the Bhagirathi river, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Current Science, 105(2), 249–253.
Woolley, R. R. Marsell, R. E., & Grover, N. C. (1946). Cloudburst floods in Utah, 1850-1938. With assistance of U.S. Government Printing Office (Water Supply Paper, 994).
Yadav, B. C., Thayyen, R. J., & Jain, K. (2020). Topoclimatic zones and characteristics of the upper Ganga basin, Uttarakhand, India. International Journal of Climatology, 40(14), 6002–6019. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6562
Yerramilli, A., Dodla, V. B. R., Challa, V. S., Myles, L. T., Pendergrass, W. R., Vogel, C. A., et al. (2012). An integrated WRF/HYSPLIT modeling approach for the assessment of PM2.5 source regions over the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 5(4), 401–412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-010-0132-1
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Singh, H., Varade, D., Mishra, P.K. (2023). Cloudburst Events in the Indian Himalayas: A Historical Geospatial Perspective. In: Singh, A. (eds) International Handbook of Disaster Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8388-7_192
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8388-7_192
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-19-8387-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-19-8388-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences