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Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards pp 324–325Cite as

Flash Flood

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Freshet; Huayco

Definition

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of water over land caused by heavy rain or a sudden release of impounded water (e.g., dam or levee break) in a short period of time, generally within minutes up to several hours, a timescale that distinguishes it from fluvial floods. It also includes freshet, which is a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow and huayco or huaico (Quechua term waygu meaning “depth, valley”) which are Peruvian terms referring to flash floods caused by torrential rains in high mountains.

Overview

Characteristics: Flash floods are typically characterized by raging torrents in response to heavy rainfall that rip through riverbeds, urban streets, or mountain canyons sweeping away large debris and sediment with them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) characterizes it as a flood with a quick rise in water surface elevation with abnormally high water velocity often creating a “wall” of water...

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Bibliography

  • Colombo, A. G., Hervás, J., and Vetere-Arellano, A. L., 2002. Guidelines on Flash Flood Prevention and Mitigation. Italy: European Commission Joint Research Center.

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  • FEMA, 1981. Design Guidelines for Flood Damage Reduction. Washington, DC: Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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  • Smith, K., and Petley, D. N., 2008. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reduction Disaster, 5th edn. London and New York: Routledge.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, Center for Natural Hazards and Disaster Research, National Weather Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73072, USA

    Yang Hong

  2. Atmospheric Radar Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Pradeep Adhikari

  3. NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, 120 David L. Boren Blvd, Norman, OK, 73072, USA

    Jonathan J. Gourley

Authors
  1. Yang Hong
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  2. Pradeep Adhikari
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  3. Jonathan J. Gourley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yang Hong .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Hong, Y., Adhikari, P., Gourley, J.J. (2013). Flash Flood. In: Bobrowsky, P.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4399-4_136

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