Cloudburst (noun)
2016.11.22

Meaning:
Cloudburst means ‘sudden and heavy rain’. You might hear it in movies or on TV. ‘burst’ means ‘suddenly and violently break open’, so ‘cloudburst’ is when clouds ‘break open’ and suddenly storm. Cloudbursts are more violent than other rainstorms. Cloudbursts can cause a lot of injuries and damage.
Example:
A: Wow, that was a weird cloudburst, wasn’t it?
B: Yes. I was just walking down the street, wasn’t even carrying an umbrella and – splat – I got soaked.
‘…it started raining--a real cloudburst. The skylight started leaking, and we had to put pots and pans around to catch the drips.’
excerpt from The Cat Who Lived High by Lilian Jackson Braun
Talking Point(s):
Do cloudbursts make you scared?