The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has officially recognized the intense rain event witnessed in Thrikkakara, Kochi, last week as a cloudburst. Rain gauges recorded 103 mm of rainfall in one hour, meeting the criteria set by the World Meteorological Organisation for a cloudburst. While such events have historically occurred in Kerala’s Western Ghats during active monsoon conditions, the lack of observatories made detection challenging in the past. The recent cloudburst caused severe waterlogging and traffic disruptions in Kochi, prompting the IMD to issue a yellow alert for isolated heavy rains in five districts.
IMD Confirms Cloudburst in Kochi
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