Brief Communication: Climatic, meteorological and topographical causes of the 16–17 June 2013 Kedarnath (India) natural disaster event

• Main Authors: R. Singh, D. Siingh, S. A. Gokani, M. G. Sreeush, P. S. Buchunde, A. K. Maurya, R. P. Singh, A. K. Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2015-07-01
• Series: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/15/1597/2015/nhess-15-1597-2015.pdf

The devastating flood episode (16–17 June 2013) at Kedarnath (Uttrakhand, India), caused a huge loss of lives and loss of physical/material wealth. To understand this catastrophic event, rainfall/convective data and associated climate meteorological parameters are investigated. A low-pressure zone with very high cloud cover (60–90 %) and relative humidity (70–100 %), associated with low (< 4 m s⁻¹) wind velocity, are observed over the Kedarnath region during 15–17 June. The cause of this disaster seems to be heavy and continuous rainfall, associated with snowmelt and the overflooding/collapse of Chorabari Lake, located upstream. Monsoon advancement was much faster than usual, due to the presence of the convectively active phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation.