The Five Most Common Types of Flooding

The information below came from an advertisement, but I thought it to be a good summary of the causes of flooding. Where I grew up, spring flooding from snow melt was the most common type. As we enter the winter months, flooding is a major hazard here in the Pacific Northwest with winter rains (should they ever come) causing river flooding. As we have seen throughout this year, there has been a very large number of summer floods from intense rain. Then Hurricane Ian demonstrated what storm surge can do along with inland flooding.

The Five Most Common Flood Types

Whether you live in different parts of America, or across the world all areas are susceptible to flooding. There are several different types of floods that affect each of these different areas. With the increase in rain due to global warming we've seen with the start of spring, BIG BAGS USA® wants to make sure you are prepared for any type of flooding that may occur in your area.

River Flood:

A river flood occurs when water levels rise over the top of a riverbank. It doesn't take long for these river beds to fill up and have to go somewhere like your backyard!

Coastal Flood

Places like Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, experience impacts from shallow coastal flooding several times a year because of coastal development and lower elevation. A coastal flood is caused by a higher than average high tide and worsened by heavy rainfall and onshore winds. For example, the wind blowing landward from the ocean.

Storm Surge

Storm surge is extremely dangerous because it is capable of flooding large coastal areas. Storm surge is an abnormal rise in water level in coastal areas, over and above the regular astronomical tide. This is caused by forces generated by a severe storm's wind, waves, and low atmospheric pressure. Extreme flooding can occur in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases. Along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane.

Inland Flood

Hurricanes and other tropical storms can lead to inland flooding. This type of flooding occurs further from the coastline than coastal flooding, but is an aftermath of the same type of storm.

Flash Flood

A flash flood is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours. They can occur within anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours of excessive rainfall. Rainfall is not necessary for a flash flood to occur. Flash flooding can also be caused by man made levees or dam failure.


The information above came from Big Bags USA Products