Wendi S. Young

Oct 12, 2024 | usgs.gov | Charles Perry |William F. Hazell |Jerald B. Robinson |Wendi S. Young

In general, the science and engineering community has categorized the severity of a flood by documenting the depth, extent of flood waters, and the total volume of water that passes a known reference point along a river or stream to estimate which floods are bigger or worse than others. Typically, those reference points are U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations (or streamgages). No, a forecast of heavy rain does not necessarily mean that widespread flooding will occur.