Mapping Flash Flood Severity in the United States

Manabendra Saharia; Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter; Humberto Vergara; Jonathan J. Gourley; Yang Hong; Marine Giroud

doi:10.1175/JHM-D-16-0082.1

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Mapping Flash Flood Severity in the United States

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Mapping Flash Flood Severity in the United States

Manabendra Saharia, Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter, Humberto Vergara, Jonathan J. Gourley, Yang Hong and Marine Giroud

Journal of hydrometeorology, Vol.18(2), pp.397-411

02/01/2017

DOI: 10.1175/JHM-D-16-0082.1

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Abstract

Flash floods, a subset of floods, are a particularly damaging natural hazard worldwide because of their multidisciplinary nature, difficulty in forecasting, and fast onset that limits emergency responses. In this study, a new variable called "flashiness" is introduced as a measure of flood severity. This work utilizes a representative and long archive of flooding events spanning 78 years to map flash flood severity, as quantified by the flashiness variable. Flood severity is then modeled as a function of a large number of geomorphological and climatological variables, which is then used to extend and regionalize the flashiness variable from gauged basins to a high-resolution grid covering the conterminous United States. Six flash flood "hotspots" are identified and additional analysis is presented on the seasonality of flash flooding. The findings from this study are then compared to other related datasets in the United States, including National Weather Service storm reports and a historical flood fatalities database.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

Physical Sciences

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Mapping Flash Flood Severity in the United States
Creators: Manabendra Saharia - Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies
Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter - NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
Humberto Vergara - University of Oklahoma
Jonathan J. Gourley - NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
Yang Hong - University of Oklahoma
Marine Giroud - IMT Mines Alès
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of hydrometeorology, Vol.18(2), pp.397-411
DOI: 10.1175/JHM-D-16-0082.1
ISSN: 1525-755X
eISSN: 1525-7541
Publisher: Amer Meteorological Soc
Number of pages: 15
Grant note: P.L. 113-2; NA14OAR4830100 / Disaster Relief Appropriations Act
Language: English
Date published: 02/01/2017
Academic Unit: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Record Identifier: 9984446426702771

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