An often overlooked but nonetheless very important part of
meteorology is flooding and hydrologic services. Hydrologic
watches, warnings, advisories, and outlooks address the rapid
onset of flooding following heavy rains which fall in a short
period of time. Typically, two types of flooding
occur. Flash flooding problems occur after very heavy rains
in a short period of time, generally within 6 hours of the onset
of heavy rain. Larger-scale flooding of main stem rivers and
streams is caused by persistent rainy periods and/or abundant
melting snow. Larger-scale flooding is not immediate, and
generally occurs after 6 hours of the onset of heavy rain, and may
persist for several days in duration.
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