What are the different types of floods?

Here’s a crash course on three common types of flood to help you better assess your risk. Coastal (Surge Flood) A coastal flood, as the name suggests, occurs in areas that lie on the coast of a sea, ocean, or other large body of open water. It is typically the result of extreme tidal conditions caused by severe weather. read more

A river flood occurs when water levels rise over the top of river banks due to excessive rain from tropical systems making landfall, persistent thunderstorms over the same area for extended periods of time, combined rainfall and snowmelt, or an ice jam. read more

Floods can be described according to speed (flash flood), geography or cause of flooding. Several types of flooding will be described in these pages together with some aspects of hydrology. More on consequences and measures can be found in the flood risk management section. read more