1. Flash floods By Aidan

2. What is Extreme Weather ? Extreme weather is when a weather event is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern. This may take place over one day or a period of time. A flash floods and heatwaves are two examples of extreme weather in the UK.

3. What is a Flash Flood Flash flooding happens when rain falls so fast that the ground cannot cope, or drain it away, fast enough. Roads can become like rivers and if there is a lot of water, it can flood buildings and carry cars away. So, if the rain is falling too fast for the ground or drains to cope, there is a risk of flash flooding.rain

4. How Do They Occur ? Most rivers flow fairly gently as they slope slowly towards the sea. Therefore, when a river floods it does so quite slowly as it takes time for the rain to percolate through the ground and into the rivers and out to sea − allowing time for some warning. With flash flooding there is often very little time between the rain falling and flash flooding occurring.

5. Example of a Flash Flood The village of Boscastle in Cornwall experienced flash flooding on 6 th August 2004 when an exceptional amount of rain fell over eight hours. Heavy thundery showers developed over the moors to the south west of Boscastle. A small, steep river flows though Boscastle and the thundery showers came one after another in a short space of time, over the same spot at the head of the river. There was simply too much water for this small river and the surrounding hillside to cope with, and the water gushed rapidly down the steep slopes into Boscastle.

6. Flash Floods in the News BBC News Flash floods hit Athens following torrential rain