cloudburst
/ˈklaʊdˌbɜːrst/ · cloud·burst
noun
- A sudden, heavy rainstorm. The hikers were caught in a cloudburst that drenched the trail within minutes.
Did you know? The term "cloudburst" first appeared in print in an 1861 issue of The Meteorological Magazine, and later featured in Charles Dickens' novel "Bleak House" to dramatize a sudden storm.