Flash Floods

A flash flood is a sudden local flood that happens in low lying areas. The main cause of flash floods are heavy rains and/or excessive snow melt. Out of all the different types of flooding, flash floods are considered to be the most dangerous.They can occur after a mere five minutes of heavy rainfall. Flash flood water often moves at high speeds creating enough force to carry debris as big as trees or cars down the road. Hundreds of flash floods occur in the United States every year.

Over the last 30 years, on average 86 people die annually in a flash flood. Additionally, these floods also force around 75,000 Americans out of their homes each year.

The best advice? To make it out of a flash flood try and get to high ground and avoid the flood water.

Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods, because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed. Flash floods occur when heavy rainfall exceeds the ability of the ground to absorb it. 

The National Severe Storms Laboratory

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are a natural disaster that occurs when warm humid air collides with dry, cold air. Tornados can travel at speeds between 65 and 200 MPH. Each year there are around 1000 tornados in America, killing an average of 71 people a year in America.

Although tornados happen almost everywhere in the world, the most frequent place is America, more specifically tornado ally. Tornado ally is the nick name for the area of the central US between the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains where the most frequent strong tornados occur.

However, the idea of a “tornado alley” can be misleading. The U.S. tornado threat shifts from the Southeast in the cooler months of the year, toward the southern and central Plains in May and June, and the northern Plains and Midwest during early summer. Tornadoes can occur and have been reported in all fifty states!

The National Severe Storm Laboratory

If you ever find yourself stuck in a tornado, the best thing to do is try and go underground, such as a basement. This should protect you from the tornado. One thing you should make sure to avoid is being close to windows since there is a good chance they will get blown out by the tornado and you could get cut from the glass.