Flash Flooding Tips
Flash floods are dangerous, they happen anywhere and they happen fast! Often there is little warning. Devastating downpours within a short time frame doesn’t allow the ground enough time to soak up all the water. Deserts, parched and baked from the sun and heat, become a hard, impenetrable surface which is why flash floods are common in desert areas. Newly developed areas may also experience flooding when roads and structures now cover the water-absorbing ground. Dam or levee failure may also lead to flash floods.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has an Advance Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) to get information about potential flooding and flood warnings in your geographic area. The site provides readings from gauges located throughout the US. water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php.
