Whats the difference between a flash flood warning and a flash flood alert?
Let me see if I get this straight….because we get them alot around here. Flash flood alert is telling you that alot of rain is coming your way & there is a potential for flooding. Flash flood warning I think means that it has already rained & the water is climbing up the creek banks & road ways not to try & pass in the water because the road could be gone underneath the rain water & to seek higher grouds away from the flooding.
A Flash Flood Warning is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring in the warned area. A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood after a heavy rain. Rainfall intensity and duration, topography, soil conditions, and ground cover contribute to flash flooding. Most flash floods occur when there is a heavy amount of precipitation falling in an area and that water is then channeled through streams or narrow gullies. Flash floods may take minutes or hours to develop. It is possible to experience a flash flood without witnessing any rain. In this case, there would be heavy rain in areas upstream of your location. Flash Flood Alerts There are two types of alerts for flash floods which are released by the National Weather Service. One is a flash flood watch, which means a flash flood could occur in the area. And the other is a flash flood warning, which means a flash flood is occurring or one will occur. A warning is issued when there are strong weather radar echoes for an area that is
Flash flood alert is more like a yellow light. It’s a warning that there could be a lot a rain and the conditions look like there is the potential for flooding. So they are letting you know that you should be careful and watchful of the weather. Now a warning is like a red light. It means there is the great likelihood of flooding in your area, to be very careful. In my area it usually means don’t leave home unless you really need to. It’s a higher level of preparedness.
