What are flash floods?

A flash flood is when water rises very quickly and covers the ground like a fast river coming out of nowhere.

Imagine you're playing in the backyard on a sunny day, and all of a sudden, the sky gets dark, and it starts raining really hard. That rain is like a hundred tiny sprinklers turning on at once, and they don’t stop for hours! The water has nowhere to go, so it just flows down the streets and around your house like a flood.

Flash floods usually happen after heavy rains in a short time. Think of it like pouring a whole pitcher of water into a tiny cup, it can’t hold all that water, so it spills out fast!

Sometimes, rain falls on already wet ground or land that doesn’t let the water soak in easily (like concrete). This makes the water run off really quickly and all at once.

If you're caught in a flash flood, it's like being pushed by a giant wave, but instead of the ocean, it’s just water from the sky! You might need to run or even wade through puddles that feel like rivers.