關於Cloudburst的意思和用法的提問

A: Both are grammatically correct, but the difference between using “a” and using “the” is the implication.

“A” is referring to ANY possible cloudburst that caused the flood. Maybe the people who are trying to figure out why the flood happened don’t know much about the problem except that it was caused by a cloudburst. There is a level of uncertainty.

If you use “the”, this implies that there is more certainty and information about the cause of the flood. Instead of just ANY cloudburst causing the flood, it was a SPECIFIC cloudburst in the area.

So, you can use either, but the meanings of both sentences will be slightly different.

A: “Downpour” is heavy rainfall.
“Cloudburst” is sudden heavy rainfall or a sudden rainstorm.

I live in Canada and I have never heard “cloudburst” before, but I love it.