IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra explained that flash floods could have been triggered due to rainfall in the higher reaches of the mountains near the shrine cave.
Weather scientists further stated that the shrine reported 31mm of rainfall between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on Friday, which is quite low to be considered a cloudburst. The Met department noted that a rain event is categorised as a cloudburst if a weather station receives 100mm of rain in 60 minutes.
The IMD has an automatic weather station near the Amarnath cave that offers forecasts during the yatra (pilgrimage). However, the mountains encompassing the shrine do not have any such weather monitoring stations owing to their inaccessibility.
Director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Srinagar, Sonam Lotus echoed Mohapatra, calling Friday’s incident a result of a “highly localised cloud” that had formed only over the holy cave. “Such rain had happened earlier this year as well,” she was quoted as saying by PTI.
