What does cloudburst mean?
A cloudburst is a sudden, intensely heavy fall of rain that arrives quickly and usually ends just as fast. Unlike an ordinary shower or even a steady downpour, a cloudburst releases an extraordinary volume of water in a very short time — often enough to overwhelm drains, flood streets, and trigger flash floods, especially in cities or steep terrain. The word carries a vivid, dramatic connotation: to be 'caught in a cloudburst' suggests being drenched and stranded with little warning. Meteorologists reserve the term for storms of exceptional intensity, though exact thresholds vary between countries. Commonly paired with words like 'sudden' or 'flash flooding,' it appears frequently in news reporting on severe weather, particularly during monsoon seasons. As a concrete, evocative term for nature's most abrupt deluges, it remains both practically useful and memorably descriptive.
nounA sudden, very heavy fall of rain, typically brief but intense; in meteorology, specifically a rainstorm of exceptional rate and short duration.
- A sudden, extremely heavy downpour of rain lasting only a short time.
- (Meteorology) A rainstorm with a rainfall rate of at least about 100 mm per hour.
"The hikers were caught without shelter when a cloudburst swept over the ridge."
"A violent cloudburst flooded the market square within minutes."
"The monsoon season brought daily thunderstorms, but the worst was a single afternoon cloudburst that overwhelmed the city's drains."
Standard regular plural; used when discussing repeated or multiple events, e.g. across seasons or locations.
"Several cloudbursts struck the region during the summer, each triggering localized flooding."
A cloudburst can dump more rain in an hour than some regions see in a month — enough to turn a dry street into a river.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cloudburst
Cloudburst is a compound of two native English elements: cloud (from Old English clud, originally meaning a mass of rock or hill before shifting to mean vapor masses) and burst (from Old English berstan, meaning to break apart suddenly). The compound arose in English, likely in the early modern period, as a figurative way of describing rain falling as if the cloud itself had broken open — imagery echoed in older phrases like 'the clouds burst.' It shares its building blocks with other native formations such as outburst and upburst rather than deriving from Latin or Greek roots.
How cloudburst is actually used
Register is neutral; common in weather reporting and everyday speech. In meteorology it has a technical sense tied to extreme rainfall rates, though usage thresholds vary by country.
Easily confused with cloudburst
A downpour is any heavy rainfall, while a cloudburst is a more intense, short-lived burst of rain, often associated with flash flooding.