Flash Foods

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does all the work"
- Mark Twain

According to ScienceDaily.com, "Flash floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and because of their unpredictability they’re the leading weather-related cause of death for Americans ... Unlike normal floods which arrive slowly and with more warning, flash floods are particularly dangerous because they happen so quickly, developing from thunderstorms that form in a matter of hours."

The ScienceDaily article goes on to show how researchers in Tel Aviv are using lightning strikes as a predictor of flash floods for "nowcasting".

FEMA describes flash floods this way, "flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path."

Bottom Line

Every state is at risk from this hazard. During a flash flood small streams, gullies, creeks, culverts, dry stream beds, or low-lying ground can become death traps. If you are outdoors when rain begins or you hear thunder, climb to high ground. Don't try to outrun a flood by running along the river bed! Don't walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. Escape to higher ground perpendicular to the stream bed.

http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/flood/