A cloudburst means very heavy rain falling in a short time, usually in mountains or hilly areas. It happens when a cloud is filled with to much water and suddenly cannot hold it anymore, so all the water falls quickly on the ground. In just one hour, a cloudburst can drop more than 100 mm of rain, which is like months of rain falling in minutes. A normal rain cloud can carry hundreds of tons of water in it. In Pakistan, cloudbursts mostly happen in northern areas like Gilgit–Baltistan, Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, because mountains push the cloud upward and make them release water suddenly. Many cloudbursts have happened in Pakistan, causing floods and damage, such as in Islamabad (2001), Rawalpindi (2011), and Skardu (2022). Every year, Pakistan faces several cloudbursts during the monsoon season.
CloudBursts in Pakistan-Death Toll:
This summer in Pakistan, especially between late June and mid to late August 2025, very heavy rains and cloudbursts (sudden, extremely heavy downpours) caused deadly flash flood and landslides, particularly in the mountains northern regions.
- The national Disaster Mangement Authority (NDMA) reports that from June 26 to August 20, over 706 people died across Pakistan due to rain-related disaster including cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides.
- In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone, the most affected province, there were 427 deaths; Punjab had 164, Pakistan administered Kashmir 56, Sindh 29, Balochistan 22, and Islamabad 8.
- Some reports mention approximately 385 additional deaths between August 18 and 21 in cloudbursts-triggered floods and landslides, through these seem to overlap with NDMA figure.
- Overall, combining these figures, it’s Fair to say that hundreds of people-over 700 lost their lives in Pakistan during this monsoon season due to the effects of cloudbursts and related flooding.
Summary in Simple language:
Hundreds of People in Pakistan died this monsoon season-around 700 or more because of sudden, very heavy rains (Cloudbursts) that caused flash floods and landslides, especially in places like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern areas. These events were to had predict and intensified by extremely challenging.
