🌧️ Cloudbursts are sudden, very intense rainfall events that cause flash floods and landslides, especially in hilly regions like the Himalayas.Cloudburst Overview
Definition: Sudden downpour of rain (usually >100 mm in 1 hour) over a small area.
Causes: Orographic lift, convection, monsoon winds, and localized thunderstorms.
Types of Cloudburst:
1. Orographic Cloudburst – when moisture-laden winds are forced to rise over mountains.
2. Convective Cloudburst – intense heating causes rapid upward movement of air, leading to sudden rainfall.
3. Frontal Cloudburst – when two contrasting air masses (cold & warm) meet, creating intense rainfall.
4. Cyclonic Cloudburst – associated with cyclones and low-pressure systems.
5. Artificially Triggered Cloudburst – can occur accidentally in weather modification or due to pollution altering rainfall patterns.
✅ 50 MCQs on Cloudburst (with answers)
Basics
1. What is a cloudburst?
a) Sudden snowfall
b) Sudden intense rainfall over a small area
c) Continuous drizzle
d) Hailstorm
Ans: b
2. Minimum rainfall intensity for a cloudburst (as per IMD)?
a) 25 mm/hour
b) 50 mm/hour
c) 100 mm/hour
d) 200 mm/hour
Ans: c
3. Cloudbursts are most common in which region of India?
a) Thar Desert
b) Himalayas
c) Deccan Plateau
d) Sundarbans
Ans: b
4. Which state is most prone to cloudbursts?
a) Rajasthan
b) Kerala
c) Uttarakhand
d) Gujarat
Ans: c
5. Cloudbursts are associated with which natural disaster?
a) Earthquakes
b) Flash floods & landslides
c) Droughts
d) Volcanic eruptions
Ans: b
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Types
6. When moist air rises over mountains causing sudden rain, it is called?
a) Convective cloudburst
b) Orographic cloudburst
c) Frontal cloudburst
d) Cyclonic cloudburst
Ans: b
7. Which cloudburst is caused by intense heating of the ground surface?
a) Convective cloudburst
b) Orographic cloudburst
c) Frontal cloudburst
d) None
Ans: a
8. Frontal cloudbursts occur due to—
a) Meeting of warm & cold air masses
b) Volcanic eruption
c) Earthquake shocks
d) Sea waves
Ans: a
9. Cloudburst associated with cyclones is known as—
a) Orographic
b) Frontal
c) Convective
d) Cyclonic
Ans: d
10. Which type of cloudburst can be influenced by human activities like pollution?
a) Natural
b) Artificially triggered
c) Cyclonic
d) Frontal
Ans: b
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Science & Mechanism
11. Which type of cloud is mainly responsible for cloudbursts?
a) Cirrus
b) Stratus
c) Cumulonimbus
d) Altostratus
Ans: c
12. Cloudbursts are linked to which process in meteorology?
a) Evaporation
b) Condensation
c) Rapid convection
d) Sublimation
Ans: c
13. Cloudbursts usually occur in—
a) Desert regions
b) Hilly/mountainous regions
c) Coastal plains
d) Glaciers only
Ans: b
14. Which season in India sees maximum cloudbursts?
a) Winter
b) Pre-monsoon
c) Monsoon
d) Post-monsoon
Ans: c
15. Cloudburst is a form of—
a) Localized rainfall
b) Global warming
c) Cyclonic storm
d) Drought
Ans: a
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India-specific
16. Leh cloudburst tragedy occurred in which year?
a) 2005
b) 2010
c) 2015
d) 2018
Ans: b
17. Which river valley is worst affected by cloudbursts in Uttarakhand?
a) Yamuna Valley
b) Alaknanda Valley
c) Bhagirathi Valley
d) Mandakini Valley
Ans: c
18. In August 2022, cloudburst occurred near—
a) Amarnath cave
b) Kedarnath
c) Vaishno Devi
d) Badrinath
Ans: a
19. Which Union Territory also faces frequent cloudbursts?
a) Puducherry
b) Ladakh
c) Lakshadweep
d) Chandigarh
Ans: b
20. In Jammu & Kashmir, cloudbursts are most common in—
a) Plains of Jammu
b) Pir Panjal & upper Himalayas
c) Ladakh desert
d) Kathua only
Ans: b
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Global
21. Which country besides India frequently reports cloudbursts?
a) Australia
b) Nepal
c) Canada
d) Egypt
Ans: b
22. In 2014, which country saw deadly cloudbursts in Hiroshima?
a) China
b) Japan
c) Indonesia
d) Myanmar
Ans: b
23. Cloudburst is also known as—
a) Rain bomb
b) Ice storm
c) Wind gust
d) Fire rain
Ans: a
24. Which continent experiences the least cloudbursts?
a) Asia
b) South America
c) Europe
d) Antarctica
Ans: d
25. Which US state often experiences cloudburst-like flash floods?
a) California
b) Arizona (desert storms)
c) Alaska
d) Florida
Ans: b
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Disaster Impact
26. Primary hazard of cloudburst in mountains?
a) Drought
b) Flash flood & landslide
c) Earthquake
d) Heatwave
Ans: b
27. Which infrastructure is most damaged during cloudburst floods?
a) Railways
b) Roads & bridges
c) Oil refineries
d) Airports only
Ans: b
28. Cloudburst often leads to blockage of rivers due to—
a) Snowfall
b) Landslides
c) Human activities
d) Dams
Ans: b
29. Human settlements most vulnerable to cloudbursts are—
a) Plains
b) Valleys near rivers & streams
c) Coastal cities
d) Forest villages only
Ans: b
30. Which pilgrimage route has faced repeated cloudburst disasters?
a) Amarnath Yatra
b) Char Dham Yatra (Kedarnath)
c) Kailash Mansarovar
d) All of the above
Ans: d
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Prediction & Mitigation
31. Cloudbursts are difficult to predict because—
a) Small-scale event
b) Sudden occurrence
c) Localized nature
d) All of the above
Ans: d
32. Which technology helps in cloudburst detection?
a) Seismograph
b) Doppler Weather Radar
c) Earthquake sensor
d) Satellite GPS only
Ans: b
33. Which Indian organization monitors cloudbursts?
a) NITI Aayog
b) IMD (Indian Meteorological Department)
c) NHAI
d) ISRO only
Ans: b
34. Best disaster management step during cloudburst?
a) Stay near river banks
b) Evacuate to higher ground
c) Hide in low-lying areas
d) Use vehicles
Ans: b
35. Which scheme in India focuses on disaster risk reduction?
a) Atal Mission
b) NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) guidelines
c) Swachh Bharat Mission
d) Ujjwala Yojana
Ans: b
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Advanced
36. Cloudburst intensity depends on—
a) Temperature difference
b) Topography
c) Humidity levels
d) All of the above
Ans: d
37. Which parameter is critical in cloudburst forecasting?
a) Wind shear
b) Precipitable water
c) Surface heating
d) All of the above
Ans: d
38. IMD classifies rainfall as cloudburst when—
a) >50 mm/hour
b) >100 mm/hour
c) >75 mm/hour
d) >200 mm/hour
Ans: b
39. Cloudbursts are linked with which monsoon phenomenon?
a) El Niño
b) Monsoon trough shifts
c) La Niña
d) Jet streams only
Ans: b
40. Which disaster in 2013 Uttarakhand was worsened by cloudburst?
a) Chamoli flood
b) Kedarnath tragedy
c) Srinagar dam break
d) Badrinath landslide
Ans: b
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Mixed Knowledge
41. Cloudbursts are usually accompanied by—
a) Thunder & lightning
b) Earthquake tremors
c) Cyclone winds
d) Snowfall
Ans: a
42. Duration of cloudburst usually is—
a) Few seconds
b) Few minutes to 1 hour
c) Several hours
d) Many days
Ans: b
43. Which Indian river basin has been repeatedly hit by cloudbursts?
a) Ganga Basin
b) Brahmaputra Basin
c) Indus Basin
d) All of the above
Ans: d
44. Cloudbursts are an example of—
a) Macro-weather event
b) Micro-weather event
c) Climate change only
d) Tidal event
Ans: b
45. Which climatic factor increases cloudburst risk?
a) Global warming
b) Deforestation
c) Urbanization in hilly areas
d) All of the above
Ans: d
46. Which Indian institution uses satellites to study rainfall patterns?
a) ISRO
b) DRDO
c) AIIMS
d) Railways
Ans: a
47. Cloudburst intensity is often measured in—
a) cm/hour
b) mm/hour
c) litres/day
d) inches/week
Ans: b
48. Which Himalayan town faced cloudburst & flood in July 2021?
a) Shimla
b) Dharamshala
c) Leh
d) Srinagar
Ans: b
49. Cloudburst is most dangerous when it occurs—
a) In plains
b) In deserts
c) In steep valleys
d) In oceans
Ans: c
50. Main lesson from cloudburst disasters in India—
a) Improve early warning & awareness
b) Ignore local communities
c) Build more in flood-prone areas
d) None
Ans: a
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