With the current Youngstown area flood warnings, and the closure of a Mercer County road, weekend flooding is certainty a possibility.
Here are five facts you may not have known about floods:
What causes a flood? A flood occurs whenever excess water cannot be taken up by the soil, vegetation or atmosphere or cannot be drained off into water channels or stored in reservoirs.
Does man cause floods? Man may increase or decrease flood activity, but he does not cause floods.
What damage do floods cause? The greather the depth of flood and the longer it lasts, the greater will be the damage. Even a shallow flood can cause damage.
What is a seasonal stream flood? A seasonal stream flood occurs during spring when the soft warm rains fall and the winter snow melts. This type of flooding can be devastating, however it is the most common and most predictable flooding that occurs.
What is a flash flood? It is a sudden, violent burst of water that surges down previously dry land. These raging torrents do not last long, but can rush as fast as a man can run and are intense enough and powerful enough to wash out bridges and roads.
Information from Barbara Tufty's 1001 Questions Answered About Earthquakes, Avalanches, Floods and Other National Disasters
