Monday, 9 April 2012

Extreme weather 1 - Flooding


Flood - definition
An overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, esp. over what is normally dry land: "a flood barrier"[1].
Floods most commonly occur when there has been recent heavy rainfall and the natural watercourses (damns, lakes etc) do not have the capacity to hold the excess water. Floods, however, can also be caused by other weather phenomenons such as in coastal areas where inundation can be caused by a storm surge associated with a tropical cyclone, tsunami or a high tide coincides with higher than normal river levels. Some other factors that can contribute to a flood are:
o   Ground cover
o   Tidal influences
o   Catchment and weather conditions before heavy rainfall

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