flash flood
Rapid water surge
A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood that develops within hours—sometimes minutes—of heavy rainfall, a dam break, or rapid snowmelt.
Unlike gradual river flooding, flash floods strike with little warning and can turn dry streambeds into raging torrents: A flash flood swept through the canyon, trapping hikers.
The danger lies in their speed and unpredictability.
- cloudburstSudden heavy localized rainfall
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- wall of waterVertical advancing flood
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- arroyoSeasonal desert watercourse
dry wash · slot canyon · torrent · inundation · microburst · surge · rising waters · disaster · hurricane · catchment area · storm drain · hailstorm · weather alert · muddy · landslide · water · gushing · cumulonimbus
- weather phenomenatornado, wind, hurricane, gust, blizzard
- extreme weatherblizzard, hurricane, tornado, typhoon, heat wave
- tropical weatherhurricane, tropical storm, tropical cyclone, hurricanes, tropical depression
- weather safetytornado warning, hurricane warning, blizzard warning, weather alert, severe weather
- geohazardslandslides, rockslide, mudslide, mudflow, subsidence
- Mojave DesertMojave Desert, Joshua tree, Joshua Tree, desert tortoise, Death Valley
flash flooddrought
Prolonged water scarcity
flash drought · desiccation · dry spell · aridity · water scarcity
flash, flood, flashy, flooded, flashlight, flashing, floods, flashed, flooding