Cloudburst in Leh

 
Published: Tuesday 31 August 2010

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  • Cloudbursts are usually triggered by mountain formations that lead to lifting of moisture-laden winds and forming of a convective cloud. Cloudbursts are common in the western Himalaya. Western disturbances over the Leh region on August 5 might have also triggered the cloudburst, said M Rajeevan, of National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Tirupati. 
  • A cloudburst in Ladakh is unnatural because it is a rain shadow area. But officials of the India Meteorological Department in Delhi said it is not the first time Leh experienced a cloudburst. 
  • Experts said the cloudburst cannot be directly linked with climate change, but increase in the number of extreme weather events is because of climate change.

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