What types of inland flooding are caused by tropical cyclones?
• Flash Flooding occurs in creeks, streams, and urban areas within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall. Rapidly rising water can reach heights of 30 feet or more. Streets can become swift moving rivers and underpasses can become death traps. • River Flooding occurs from heavy rains associated with decaying hurricanes or tropical storms, and in extreme cases, river floods can last a week or more. Q: How do I know how severe a flood will be? Within flood warning products, the NWS conveys the magnitude of observed or forecast flooding using flood severity categories. These flood severity categories include minor flooding, moderate flooding, and major flooding. Each category has a definition based on property damage and public threat. • Minor Flooding: minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat or inconvenience • Moderate Flooding: some inundation of structures and roads near streams. Some evacuations of people and/or transfer of property to higher elevations a
