"A flood is an overflow of water (or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry."
A natural event that occurs when water overflows from a river, lake, or other body of water, causing damage to surrounding areas.
Hydrologic cycle: The continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land surface, and subsurface.
Types of floods: Flash floods, riverine floods, coastal floods, and urban floods.
Causes of floods: Heavy rainfall, snowmelt, dam failures, storm surges, and human activities such as deforestation and urbanization.
Flood frequency analysis: The process of determining the probability of floods of different magnitudes occurring at a given location.
Flood forecasting and warning systems: Using hydrologic models and real-time data to predict the occurrence and severity of floods and issuing timely warnings to the public.
Floodplain mapping: Identifying areas prone to flooding and developing accurate maps of flood risk zones to guide land use planning and management.
Flood mitigation measures: Structural and non-structural measures aimed at reducing the impact of floods, including building dams and levees, improving drainage systems, and implementing flood-resistant building designs.
Erosion and sediment transport: The processes by which water and sediment move within and between rivers, causing river channel changes and sedimentation, especially during floods.
Flood history and management: The study of past flood events and the development of policies and institutional frameworks to manage flood risk and reduce vulnerability.
Climate change and floods: The impact of global warming on the frequency and intensity of floods and the need for adaptation measures to mitigate their effects.
Riverine Floods: This occurs when the level of water in a river, stream, or lake rises above its normal level due to heavy rainfall, snowmelt or dams.
Flash Floods: Flash floods occur suddenly within a few hours, it is caused by heavy rainfall in a short period of time which causes a flood in a nearby river, it can also be caused by a dam breaks.
Coastal Floods: This type of flood occurs in low-lying or coastal areas as a result of high tide, storm surges or hurricane events.
Urban Floods: Urban floods occur when rainwater accumulates in areas with poor drainage systems or rapid development leads to the elimination of natural drainage systems.
Landslide and Mud Floods: These types of floods are caused by landslides, volcanic eruptions, and mudslides that can block the flow of water or cause it to overflow.
Ice-jam floods: These occur when large accumulations of ice or debris block water flow in a river or other water body which causes water overflow.
Dam burst floods: These floods occur when a dam fails, leading to a sudden release of large amounts of water.
Groundwater Floods: Groundwater floods occur when the water table rises due to heavy rainfall and the groundwater gets accumulated.
Burn Scars/Hillside and Debris Flow Floods: These occur as a result of heavy rainfall over land that has recently suffered a fire, which leads to the displacement of soil and debris and also causes water to overflow.
Tidal Floods: Tidal floods occur due to the rise and fall of tides in rivers, oceans or other water bodies.
"Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrology…"
"Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering, and public health."
"Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of flooding…"
"…for example, land use changes such as deforestation and removal of wetlands, changes in waterway course or flood controls such as with levees, and larger environmental issues such as climate change and sea level rise."
"Climate change's increased rainfall and extreme weather events increase the severity of other causes for flooding, resulting in more intense floods and increased flood risk."
"Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river, lake, or ocean, in which the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual boundaries…"
"…or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an areal flood."
"While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt, these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant unless they flood property or drown domestic animals."
"Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers."
"While riverine flood damage can be eliminated by moving away from rivers and other bodies of water…"
"People have traditionally lived and worked by rivers because the land is usually flat and fertile and because rivers provide easy travel and access to commerce and industry."
"Flooding can lead to secondary consequences in addition to damage to property, such as long-term displacement of residents and creating increased spread of waterborne diseases and vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes."
"…these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant unless they flood property or drown domestic animals."
"…increased rainfall and extreme weather events increase the severity of other causes for flooding, resulting in more intense floods and increased flood risk."
"Land use changes such as deforestation… often increase the intensity and frequency of flooding."
"Flooding can lead to… increased spread of waterborne diseases and vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes."
"Human changes to the environment... increase the intensity and frequency of flooding."
"Changes in waterway course or flood controls such as with levees… increase the intensity and frequency of flooding."
"Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering, and public health."