cloudburst

noun

cloud·burst | \ ˈklau̇d-ˌbərst

Definition of cloudburst

1 : a sudden copious rainfall

2 : a sudden outpouring : deluge a cloudburst of anger

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Examples of cloudburst in a Sentence

A cloudburst caused the river to flood. the weatherman warned of possible cloudbursts in the afternoon

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier in the afternoon, thunderstorms packing winds of around 60 mph moved through the far southwest suburbs, as many parts of the Chicago area were hit by cloudbursts. — Liam Ford, chicagotribune.com, "2nd round of thunderstorms rolls into Chicago area as swimmers warned from beaches Friday," 5 July 2018 Temperatures plummeted by 15 degrees in less than 30 minutes during a cloudburst that marked the change in weather systems, the Globe reported. — John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, "The longest heat wave in Boston lasted 9 days," 2 July 2018 But then the World Cup came along and with it, a cloudburst of unfiltered national happiness. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "Even With Mo Salah in the World Cup, Egypt Can’t Seem to Catch a Break," 23 June 2018 Making matters worse with this flood were days of rain prior to Saturday’s cloudburst, resulting in saturated ground and soggy lawns, leaving runoff with no place to go. — Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, "As the Ohio River recedes, more rain is coming as region faces 'tremendous cleanup'," 26 Feb. 2018 In July 1979, cloudbursts associated with tropical storm Claudette brought 43 inches of rain to Alvin, Texas, just south of Houston, an amount that remains the heaviest 24-hour U.S. rainfall. — Tom Skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: Have other hurricanes brought serious flooding to Texas?," 27 Aug. 2017 Things were looking pretty grim until the Orioles also discovered that the 6-o’clock cloudburst that delayed the start of the game for 42 minutes also turned Camden Yards into a giant pinball machine. — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Manny Machado hits three homers, including walk-off grand slam for 9-7 win over Angels," 19 Aug. 2017 A number of the businesses have returned but some proprietors admit to more than a bit of anxiety when severe thunderstorm warnings are issued as the cloudbursts that pop up in the humid mid-Atlantic summertime approach. — Howard County Times, "One year later, few answers for Ellicott City's flood prevention [Editorial]," 26 July 2017 The wins blurred, but one moment remains as vivid as a cloudburst. — Mark Whicker, Orange County Register, "Whicker: Dick Enberg, voice behind the UCLA dynasty, honored," 9 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cloudburst.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.