Cloud Observatories in India

India is considered a monsoon-oriented country on the global climate map. There have been a number of incidents of cloudburst that have been recorded across the western Himalayas and the west coast of India in recent years. The Cloud Observatories in India is a network of four high-altitude physics observatories that are installed in different locations in India to study cloud and rain dynamics over high-altitude regions using cutting-edge equipment. The goal of cloud observatories in India is to collect a better understanding of the interactions between clouds, convection, and circulation, as well as knowledge of forecasting and monitoring cloudburst incidents in high-altitude regions and helping to minimize the damage.

• In order to prevent and forecast cloudburst incidents over the Himalayan region, a Himalayan Cloud Observatory was established in the Swami Ram Tirth Campus (SRT), Tehri district of Uttarakhand, however is now in the testing period.
• It is the country’s second high-altitude observatory, built by the Indian Science and Technology Department and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

A cloudburst is the maximum volume of precipitation in a short time. Hailstorms and thunder occasionally accompany it. It is effective in creating floods. Cloudbursts can quickly create large amounts of water. But, they are rare because they occur only when a huge amount of air is lifted by geographical aspects like a line of hills or a mountain range. Generally, cloudbursts do not last for more than a few minutes.

Cloudbursts happen when drenched clouds cannot cause rain because of the rising movement of the extremely hot current of air. Rather than falling, raindrops get larger in dimension and are forced up because of the air current. Finally, they will be heavier to carry and fall, leading to more rainfall than normal.