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Disambiguation of Cloudbursts: Not All Extreme Short-Term Rainfall Events Constitute Cloudburst
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Abstract:
Misinformation casts doubt on well-supported theories. Recently, it has become more common to refer to intense, short-duration heavy rainfall events as “cloudbursts” without considering the established and formally defined terms already in use. This may result in ambiguity, as it directly contradicts or overlap with established terminology for the same phenomenon or terms that share similar syntax but refer to entirely different phenomena. Furthermore, “Cloudburst” is an outdated term encompassing predominantly convective down burst of varying scales. The use of the term in similar context of extreme rainfall event indicates an unfamiliarity with contemporary literature on cloudburst. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of existing research and evidence on cloudbursts. It aims to provide a clear explanation of the distinctions between cloudbursts and extreme rainfall events. Various studies on the complex relationships among cloudbursts, precipitation dynamics, thermodynamics, large-scale forcing, orographic forcing, geomorphology, and their resulting impacts have been reviewed. Most studies have suggested that higher-altitude regions, typically ranging from 1000 to 2500 m, experience more frequent cloudbursts. Cloudbursts occur on the plains; however, mountainous regions are more prone to cloudbursts owing to their orography and geographical features. Multiple studies have provided compelling evidence that cloudbursts are convectively triggered and followed by orographically locked systems. Therefore, the absence of any of these interconnected processes hinders the occurrence of cloudbursts. Moreover, cloudbursts are highly localized and are very difficult to predict because of their very small-scale in space and time compared with extreme rainfall events. Therefore, this study concludes that it is not possible to categorize every occurrence of extreme rainfall within a short time period as a cloudburst. Furthermore, there is currently no widely accepted standard threshold for determining the intensity level that distinguishes cloudbursts from instances of extreme rainfall.
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