Causes of why do the clouds burst and the different types of clouds
This piece of write up dissects the reason why the cloud bursts triggering earthquakes and floods causing massive catastrophe. This article also defines various categories of clouds along with their properties. This article details an insight into this natural and man made calamities and means to safeguards against this scourge on humankind. This also lists the types of calamities defining man made and natural disasters. Please read ahead to enlighten yourself.
When the floods came with full fury and force in the Kedarnath areas, everyone was oblivious of the approaching danger. Consequently, the doom washed away everything that fell on its way- human, cattle, houses, kasbas and the entire region. As you are well aware, one of the causes of this calamity is the bursting of clouds also. Very recently, the food like situation had developed in Western Odisha also due mainly to the cloudbursts trapping people of 26 villages in flood waters. Do you know why clouds burst?
What is cloudbursts
Cloudburst is the extreme form of rainfall. It is called cumulus (cloud chamber) explosion or torrential (hailstorms) rains. According to meteorological department, when clouds in huge quantities move in the skies with water and some obstructions fall in their paths, they suddenly burst up. Water gushes with such an enormous force that within a limited area, several lacs liters of waterfalls occur at a time simultaneously on ground inundating the area. Floods with strong currents arrive in the affected areas.
You must have read the ancient story of emergence of the River Ganges on to earth through a single hair lock of Lord Shiva. Just imagine what must have been the consequences had the Ganges flown down the earth in a single go? Similarly after the cloudbursts too, the entire water of clouds simultaneously fall down on planet earth. The rainfall poring due to cloudbursts happen with the speed of 100 km per hour. Within seconds more than 2 cm of rain falls which causes immense disaster. You already know this that when the normal downpours occur, earth soaks up the rain water gradually. But such a massive waterfall happens after cloudbursts, it takes to the routes of low lying areas in a faster pace. When this water does find room enough, the flood like situation develops there. On the one hand is the velocity of water so intense, on the other, hailstones sometimes also fall down with great speed. Due to the whopping force of water, the things coming in its way are badly devastated beyond salvation. You must have watched the scenes of kedarnath cataclysmic tragedy on TV when the strong houses tumbled in water disappearing from the sight.
Causes of clodsbursts
After all, what sort of obstruction is that the clouds burst? The weather scientists explains that the clouds loaded with water advance northwards in our country every year round for which the Himalayan Mountain acts coming as a great barrier on their ways. This is the reason why the incidents of cloudbursts are mainly heard happening in the mountainous ranges. In addition to this, these clouds cannot tolerate even the slightest of heat. If the whiffs of hot air touch them , possibilities of their bursting forms up. Same had happened in Mumbai in July, the 26th, 2005, when the clouds had collided not against any solid object but collided with hot air.
Let us know about clouds
To understand clearly the cloudbursts, you will have to delve deeper to know how many types of clouds are there. Depending upon the form and their distance from earth, they have been classified in numerous groups.
First category of clouds
In the first group fall low clouds which are much nearer to earth. Its heights are up to 2 and ½ km. In this group come:
- Brown clouds looking similar.
- Clouds looking like the mounds of cotton (Cumulus).
- Black in color and thundering clouds (cumulonimbus).
- Brownish-blackish clouds looking like straight cotton (straight-O- cumulus).
The second category of clouds
Second group among clouds are that of the clouds of middle heights. Its heights are up to 2 and ½ to 4 km. Two types of clouds come into this category:
- Altostratus cloud and
- Altostratus cloud.
The third category of clouds
The third group comprises of high clouds the heights of which are more than 4 km. The clouds falling under this group are:
- White smallish cirrus clouds,
- Cirrocumulus cloud,
- twirling Cirrocumulus cloud and,
- Transparent fibrous cirrostratus clouds.
Properties of different groups of clouds
Among all the clouds, some are of advantage to us yet some come carrying disaster with them. Cumulonimbus is responsible for cloudbursts. If watched carefully, they look beatific. It looks as if some huge ballooning cauliflower are swimming in clouds. Its length stretched up to 14 km. After all, why such terrific beautiful clouds bring in disasters? In fact, when suddenly moisture stops reaching into cumulonimbus or some whiff of air enters into it, these white clouds transform into deep black color and with thundering sound fall with full force. Such great is the speed of fall of the cumulonimbus clouds as if the entire river seems to have descended from skies.
Thank you for posting such a useful information. It is quite informative