The Causes of Floods
Every time you get a drink of water, you fill the cup to only a certain level, because if you just keep running the water, eventually the cup overflows and you end up with soggy feet.
Like your cup, streams have a normal amount of water they can hold. But if more water than normal enters a stream, it can overflow, flooding the surrounding land, homes, roads, bridges, and other structures. Floods occur when flowing water escapes its normal boundaries because precipitation or runoff levels are higher than usual. They are often accompanied by seasonal changes in rain or snowmelt, when runoff is at its highest level.
Take a look at some of the causes of floods in this interactive activity.
Out of these causes, which was the biggest contributor to the Atlanta flood?
Excessive rainfall was the main contributor to the Atlanta floods.
