Abstract
Floods are caused by weather phenomena and events that deliver more precipitation to a drainage basin than can be readily absorbed or stored within the basin. The kinds of weather phenomena and events that cause floods include intense convective thunderstorms, tropical storms and hurricanes, extratropical cyclones and frontal passages, and rapid snowmelt. These individual meteorological processes are part of a larger climatic framework that determines: 1) the seasonal availability and large-scale delivery pathways of atmospheric moisture, 2) the seasonal frequency, typical locations, and degree of persistence of the weather phenomena that release the delivered moisture, and 3) the seasonal variation of climate-related, land-surface conditions that affect flood runoff, such as antecedent soil moisture or snow cover. -from Author
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 67-88 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | US Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper |
| Volume | 2375 |
| State | Published - 1991 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Water Science and Technology