Floods are events where water overflows onto land that is typically dry. This can occur when there is a large amount of rain, rapid snow or ice melt, a blast of water onto a coastline during a storm, or the failure of manmade infrastructures, such as dams or levees. Floods are among the most expensive and frequent natural disasters in the United States, and as the impacts of climate change are more acutely felt, floods are expected to worsen. In addition to property damage, floods, on average, kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning strikes in the United States each year.

Learn more about floods with these resources.