A is a Japanese expression used to describe a short, localized downpour of over 100 mm per hour of rain caused by the unpredictable formation of a

cumulonimbus cloud Cumulonimbus () is a dense, towering, vertical cloud, typically forming from water vapor condensing in the lower troposphere that builds upward carried by powerful buoyant air currents. Above the lower portions of the cumulonimbus the water ...

. The term is often used by the Japanese media in reporting such events, but does not have an official meaning nor is it used by the

Japan Meteorological Agency The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...

History of usage

The first example of the term being used was by the ''

Yomiuri Shimbun The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...

'' in August 1969. It carries the same meaning as the term , but is differentiated by the added feature of being difficult to forecast, hence the reference to the aspect of

ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...

associated with the term

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

. Neither "guerrilla rainstorm" nor "cloudburst" is a defined term used by the meteorological agency, which instead uses the term . Usage of the term spread in the private media from 2006.

References

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External links

High-resolution Precipitation Nowcasts, predictions with a spatial resolution of 250 m
(

) Climate of Japan Japanese words and phrases Rain

History of usage

See also

References

External links