Types of floods

Floods are categorised and named in several distinct ways. You can look at the geography: the physical features in the area or the source of the flood water:

Geography:

• flooding of river
• flooding from the sea
• flooding in river delta
• urban flooding

Another important feature is the speed with which the water flows into the area:

Speed:

• flash flood: the water flows in with great speed.
• overflow of major rivers: the water flows over the banks and spreads over the terrain. Both the flow speed and the rising speed are comparatively low.
• ponding, pluvial flooding or water logging: water forms a layer on the fields or streets because high intensity rainfall cannot be drained as quickly as it comes down.

You can look at the cause of flooding:

Causes of flooding:

• storm
• heavy rainfall
• sudden melting of snow and ice in mountain areas
• failure of a construction in the water system (dike, sluice, weir)

For more information about the different types of floods, take the virtual tour, or go to the flood types section.