Rivers flood because of the weather. Rapid melting of snow in the spring and/or major storms that bring heavy rains over a large region cause most floods. The extensive 1997 flood along the Red River of the north is an example of an event triggered by rapid snowmelt. Exceptional rains caused the devastating floods in the upper Mississippi River Valley during the summer of 1993.
Unlike the extensive regional floods just mentioned, flash floods are more limited in extent. Flash floods occur with little pattern warning and can be deadly because produce a rapid rise in ant and water level and can have a devastating flow velocity. Several factors influence flash flooding. Among them are rainfall intensity and duration, tomography and surface conditions. Mountainous areas are susceptible because steep slopes can quickly funnel runoff into narrow canyons. Urban areas are susceptible to flash floods because a high percentage of the surface area is composed of impervious surfaces such as roofs, streets and parking lots where runoff is very rapid. In fact, a study indicated that the area of impervious surfaces in the United States(excluding Alaska and Hawaii) amounts to more than 112,600 square kilometers(nearly 44,000 square miles), which is slightly less than the area of the state of Ohio.
Human interference with the stream system can worsen or of all even cause floods. A prime example is the failure of a dam or an f the artificial levee. These structures are built for flood protection. They are designed to contain floods of a certain magnitude. If a larger flood occurs, the dam or levee is overtopped. If the dam or levee fails or is washed out, the water behind it is released to become a flash flood. The bursting of a dam in 1889 on the Little Conemaugh River caused the devastating Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood that took some 3,000 lives. A second dam failure along occurred there again in 1977 and caused 77 fatalities.