This year there have been a record number of flash flood warnings when comparing the same time period, according to data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.The 3,722 flash flood warnings that have occurred between Jan. 1 and July 30 are the highest out of the same time period for any year going back to 1986.The data comes after several areas across the U.S. have been hit with catastrophic flash floods. In Texas, flash flooding along the Guadalupe River led to more than 130 deaths, including 27 campers and counselors at a girls summer camp. The latest flash floods swept across the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States Thursday, killing a 13-year-old boy in Maryland.The Iowa Environmental Mesonet collects and archives information related to weather from a variety of sources.Flash flood warnings can be used to analyze the risk of flash floods in a way that data on occurrences may not. This is because when a warning occurs, a flash flood may not actually take place, but the conditions were met to warrant a warning for residents in a specific area.“Just because a flash flood warning is issued doesn't mean a flash flood occurred, but it does indicate that the risk factors reached a certain level and that led to the issuance of a warning,” said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior researcher at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University Climate School. “So, it does have some meaning.”Flash floods are a subtype of flood that includes the rapid rise of water when there’s excessive rainfall in a small time period in a normally dry area. This can happen within minutes of rain or up to six hours.They occur often in places with dry climates and rocky terrain because water will run over rather than into the ground, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.A flash flood warning means it is happening or is about to happen, according to the National Weather Service definition. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet is a tool that pulls information on weather watches and warnings from National Weather Service reports. It cautions data quality prior to 2001.Flash floods are a risk anywhere that experiences rainfall, Kruczkiewicz said. “We need to be more comfortable with the risk of all extreme weather events. A flash flood, specifically, just because they could happen pretty much anywhere.”The Hearst Television Data Team identified 255 counties that have followed the national trend of having a record number of flash flood warnings from Jan. 1 to July 30 in 2025.Using data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet on flash flood warnings for that time period each year, the data team found the number of flash flood warnings that occurred in each county. If a flash flood warning occurred in multiple places, they are counted for each county in this analysis.A number of factors go into an increased risk of flash floods, according to Kruczkiewicz. "As the atmosphere warms, the atmosphere has the capacity — enhanced capacity — to hold water vapor," he said. "Now, that doesn't necessarily mean we're gonna have flash floods all the time, right? We need the other ingredients to come into play."These factors include socioeconomic conditions, land use and land cover, Kruczkiewicz said. For example, when a surface is paved over, it increases risk.“I think we all need to do better acknowledging that this is a risk we have been living with. We've been underestimating it," he said. "We are living with it now, and the risk will continue to grow and evolve in the coming years. So, it's an uncomfortable thought to some extent, but it is also the reality.”PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON — This year there have been a record number of flash flood warnings when comparing the same time period, according to data from the .
The 3,722 flash flood warnings that have occurred between Jan. 1 and July 30 are the highest out of the same time period for any year going back to 1986.
The data comes after several areas across the U.S. have been hit with catastrophic flash floods. In Texas, flash flooding along the Guadalupe River led to , including 27 campers and counselors at a girls summer camp.
The latest flash floods swept across the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States Thursday, killing a 13-year-old boy in .
The Iowa Environmental Mesonet collects and archives information related to weather from a variety of sources.
Flash flood warnings can be used to analyze the risk of flash floods in a way that data on occurrences may not. This is because when a warning occurs, a flash flood may not actually take place, but the conditions were met to warrant a warning for residents in a specific area.
“Just because a flash flood warning is issued doesn't mean a flash flood occurred, but it does indicate that the risk factors reached a certain level and that led to the issuance of a warning,” said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, senior researcher at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University Climate School. “So, it does have some meaning.”
Flash floods are a subtype of flood that includes the rapid rise of water when there’s excessive rainfall in a small time period in a normally dry area. This can happen within minutes of rain or up to six hours.
They occur often in places with dry climates and rocky terrain because water will run over rather than into the ground, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A flash flood warning means it is happening or is about to happen, according to the definition. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet is a tool that pulls information on weather watches and warnings from National Weather Service reports. It cautions data quality prior to 2001.
Flash floods are a risk anywhere that experiences rainfall, Kruczkiewicz said.
“We need to be more comfortable with the risk of all extreme weather events. A flash flood, specifically, just because they could happen pretty much anywhere.”
The Hearst Television Data Team identified 255 counties that have followed the national trend of having a record number of flash flood warnings from Jan. 1 to July 30 in 2025.
Using data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet on flash flood warnings for that time period each year, the data team found the number of flash flood warnings that occurred in each county. If a flash flood warning occurred in multiple places, they are counted for each county in this analysis.
A number of factors go into an increased risk of flash floods, according to Kruczkiewicz.
"As the atmosphere warms, the atmosphere has the capacity — enhanced capacity — to hold water vapor," he said. "Now, that doesn't necessarily mean we're gonna have flash floods all the time, right? We need the other ingredients to come into play."
These factors include socioeconomic conditions, land use and land cover, Kruczkiewicz said. For example, when a surface is paved over, it increases risk.
“I think we all need to do better acknowledging that this is a risk we have been living with. We've been underestimating it," he said. "We are living with it now, and the risk will continue to grow and evolve in the coming years. So, it's an uncomfortable thought to some extent, but it is also the reality.”
