Flash floods occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms ground absorption capabilities, causing rapid accumulation of water that flows into low-lying areas. The recent floods in Texas' Guadalupe River resulted in at least 90 fatalities, with the river rising 26 feet in just 45 minutes due to 6 to 10 inches of rain over three hours. Conditions for flash floods include prolonged storms and high rainfall rates, along with factors such as urbanization and soil saturation from previous rains or droughts affecting ground absorption.
In the recent event in Texas, there was a small area along the south fork of the Guadalupe River where six to 10 inches of rain fell in just three hours.
Flash floods can happen when a storm lingers over an area for a period of time and when a storm has extremely high rainfall rates.
Flash floods are so named because waters can rise extremely quickly within minutes to hours of when rains begin, catching people unaware.
The ground is less able to soak up water if it is already saturated from previous rains or if there has been an intense drought.
Collection
[
|
...
]