Our second week in Faridabad Alex and I were lucky to witness a Cloudburst (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudburst). We were inside playing with Derek when we saw the first flashes of lightning. We all ran outside, at which point another burst of lightning sent Derek running inside in terror. After eventually coaxing him outside again, we all watched the storm and were thoroughly soaked within a matter of seconds. Lightning bolts ricocheted across the sky almost every second, and the raindrops were larger than peas. Alex, Derek, and I danced and splashed in the rain yelling “bijli!”(lightning in Hindi) as the courtyard filled with water – a memory I won't soon forget! During the 15 minute storm, it rained over an inch, causing a miniature flood.
These cloudbursts usually occur when a “pregnant” monsoon cloud floats north and eventually “bursts”. These storms occur high up in the sky, resulting in enlarged raindrops as the water droplets bead together during the time they fall to the ground. The lightning also occurs high up in the sky – many of the bolts we witnessed didn't appear to even touch the ground, and the thunder wasn't audible. As a Seattleite who rarely witnesses anything but a soft drizzle of rain, a storm of this magnitude was exciting.
-Christina
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