Science · 6 pages · 12 min

Why floods can rise after the rain has stopped

A flood crest can arrive after the rain because the runoff is still traveling.

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From the opening

A flood crest at a given place is water that fell earlier, often farther upstream, and has taken time to run off the land and move down the channel. The rain can be over while that water is still on its way. The opening covers travel time from hills to gauge, why tributaries peak in sequence, and how snowmelt can lag as well.

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Inside

Travel time from hills to gauge
Why tributaries peak in sequence
How snowmelt can lag as well
When a rise is not runoff
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Flood-wave travel and hydrograph lag
Runoff routing through a drainage basin

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Why floods can rise after the rain has stopped

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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