This list of notableflash floods summarizes the most widely reported events.
| Date | Fatalities | Cause | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 March 1864 | 240 | dam failure | Great Sheffield Flood,Sheffield,England |
| 31 May 1889 | 2200 | dam failure | Johnstown Flood Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 11 September 1891 | 359 | heavy rain | Consuegra,Castilla-La Mancha,Spain |
| 14 June 1903 | 247 | thunderstorm | Heppner Flood of 1903,Oregon, U.S. Second-deadliest flash flood in the United States; kills almost a quarter of the town's residents. |
| 11 July 1912 | 8 | thunderstorm | Mazuma, Nevada, Postmistress among the dead. Relief efforts include a fund set up byWilliam Randolph Hearst. |
| 15 January 1919 | 21 | dam failure | Great Molasses Flood, Boston, U.S. A 8-to-15-foot (2.4 to 4.6 m) wall of molasses from a collapsed distillation storage tank moves through the streets at 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) killing 21, injuring 150 |
| 20 March 1929 | 1 | heavy rain | 1929 New Zealand cyclone,Otago andCanterbury, New Zealand. Flooding in many parts of the South Island, especially around the city ofDunedin, where 139 millimetres (5.5 in) of rain falls in 24 hours. A railway worker dies in a washout on the line between Dunedin andRanfurly |
| 19 February 1938 | 21 | thunderstorm | Kopuawhara flash flood of 1938,Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand: a temporary camp for rail workers next to a river is hit by a 5-metre (16 ft) high wall of water[1] already swollen by heavy rain associated withTyphoon Haikui.[2] |
| 15 August 1952 | 34 | heavy rain | Lynmouth Flood, England |
| 31 January 1953 | 2394 | heavy storm | North Sea flood of 1953,The Netherlands,Belgium, England,Scotland, a combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm over the North Sea causes a storm tide. As a result, the DutchDelta Works are authorized, an elaborate project to enable emergency closing of the mouths of most estuaries, to prevent flood surges upriver. |
| 17 June 1965 | 0 | heavy rain | 1965 Philmont Scout Ranch flash flood,Philmont Scout Ranch,New Mexico |
| 25 November 1967 | 464 | heavy rain | 115 to 129 millimetres (4.5 to 5.1 in) rain in 5 hours at up to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) per hour near Lisbon, Portugal[3] |
| 4 January 1971 | 32 | monsoon | Kuala Lumpur floods, Malaysia |
| 9 June 1972 | 238 | dam failure | Black Hills flood, South Dakota, U.S., 15 inches (38 cm) in 6 hours |
| 31 July 1976 | 143 | thunderstorm | Big Thompson River flood, Colorado, U.S. |
| 11 August 1979 | 1800–25,000 | dam failure | Machchu-2 dam failed due to heavy upstream rain, washes out the town of Morbi and nearby villages ofGujarat, India. Estimated deaths range from 1800 to 25,000 people. Considered worst flash flood of history. |
| 24 July 1982 | 299 | heavy rain | maximum 187 millimetres (7.4 in) rainfall per an hour inNagayo, Nagasaki, floods, landslides, and bridge, house, buildings collapses occur simultaneously in the suburbs ofNagasaki,Kyushu Island,Japan[4] |
| 19 November 1983 | 10 | heavy rain | maximum rate of 24 millimetres (0.94 in) in 30 minutes near Lisbon, Portugal, with similar intensity of 1967 event; much lower fatalities due to lessons learned[3] |
| 16 July 1987 | 10 | heavy rain | TheGuadalupe River floods inTexas Hill Country after a series of severe thunderstorms dumps 5 to 11.5 inches (130 to 290 mm) of rainfall in its headwaters basin. Hundreds of people had to be rescued; 10 teenagers at a summer camp lost their lives.[5][6] |
| 14 June 1990 | 26 | heavy rain | Shadyside, Ohio, U.S.[7] |
| 16 June 1990 | 4 | thunderstorm | Duck Creek Floods of 1990 near Davenport, Iowa, U.S.[8] |
| 12 August 1997 | 11 | thunderstorm | Antelope Canyon, Arizona, U.S. |
| 20 July 1998 | 63 | heavy rain | Jarovnice, Slovakia. Combination of heavy rain and collapse of dam formed by debris causes flood wave that inundates the unprotected Romani settlement. |
| 18 October 1998 | 31 | heavy rain | San Marcos, Texas, U.S., rains totaling from 15 to 30 inches (380 to 760 mm)[9] |
| 11 September 2000 | 10 | heavy rain | According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a 100 millimetres (3.9 in) to 114 millimetres (4.5 in) principation per a single hour, total 428 millimetres (16.9 in) to 492 millimetres (19.4 in) principation per twelve hours, following flash floods inNagoya and surrounding area, another 150 persons are wounded,Japanese government official confirmed report.[10] |
| 30 August 2003 | 6 | heavy rain | Jacobs Creek Flood,Kansas Turnpike nearEmporia, Kansas, U.S. |
| 16 August 2004 | 0 | heavy rain | Boscastle flood, Cornwall, England |
| 6 August 2006 | 350 | heavy rain | eastern Ethiopia, tens of thousands are displaced[11][12] |
| 13 August 2006 | 125 | heavy rain | southern Ethiopia, hundreds of thousands are displaced[11] |
| 3 July 2007 | 64 | Sudan floods | |
| 2 November 2007 | 0 | heavy rain | Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, U.S.[13] |
| 12 June 2008 | 0 | thunderstorm | The 12–13 June 2008 floods around Duck Creek inDavenport, Iowa, U.S.[14] |
| 4 August 2009 | 0 | thunderstorm | The2009 Kentuckiana Flash Flood results from 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm) of rain falling in less than an hour near Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| 9 September 2009 | 31 | heavy rain | Turkish flash floods. |
| 19 September 2009 | 10 | heavy rain | 2009 Southeastern United States floods included flash flooding around Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[15] |
| 26 September 2009 | 100 | tropical storm | Metro Manila, primarily Marikina, Taguig, and Pasig; and several municipalities in the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, and Laguna, taking more than a hundred lives and leaving thousands of affected residents homeless. It also submerges several municipalities under feet deep of water for several weeks. It is caused byTyphoon Ketsana. |
| 1 October 2009 | 37 | heavy rain | Giampilieri, Messina, Sicily. See Also2009 Messina floods and mudslides |
| 10 October 2009 | 10–13 October in Northern Luzon causing major landslides in theCordillera Mountains (Philippines), and submerging 80% of the province of Pangasinan. | ||
| October 2009 | 0 | heavy rain | In late October, a rainynor'easter causes several flash floods in SoutheastVirginia (U.S.) and injures over 100 people. |
| 25 November 2009 | 122 | heavy rain | More than 122 people die in flash floods that sweep away highways and neighborhoods in the city ofJeddah, Saudi Arabia, caused by heavy rains.[16] |
| 20 February 2010 | 42 | heavy rain | 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides: 108 to 165 millimetres (4.3 to 6.5 in) of rain fell in 5 hours, much more than the monthly February average of 88 millimetres (3.5 in). 51 people die, 250 are injured, and at least eight people are missing. |
| April 2010 | April–May: The great Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., flood. Water in the Cumberland river rose, flooding downtown Nashville and surrounding areas. | ||
| 11 June 2010 | 20 | heavy rain | The Little Missouri River risse over 20 feet (6.1 m) in only a few hours,2010 Arkansas floods |
| 24 July 2010 | 0 | dam failure | Delhi Dam on Iowa's Maquoketa River breaches after 9 inches (230 mm) of rainfall. 8,000 people evacuate and 15 ft (4.6 m) chunks of highway break off and are swept down river. Contributed to flooding the Mississippi River inDavenport, Iowa. |
| July 2010 | 1400 | monsoon | Mid–July till mid-August, Pakistan's three provinces are badly affected during the monsoon rains when dams, rivers and lakes overflow, killing at least 1400 people and affecting 3.5 million people. |
| 6 August 2010 | 180 | cloud burst | Leh, India. More than 180 people are reported to have died with 400 missing and 300 injured due to flash floods, caused probably due to cloud burst. Injured and stranded public are airlifted by Indian army.[17] |
| 4 October 2010 | 7 | chemical plant accident | flood caused by theAjka alumina plant accident in western Hungary[18] A dam wall collapses, freeing about one million cubic metres (35 million cubic feet) of highly alkaline liquid waste, calledred mud, from the Ajkai Timföldgyár alumina plant inAjka,[19][20]Veszprém County. The mud is released as a 1–2 m (3–7 ft) wave, flooding several nearby localities, including the village ofKolontár and the town ofDevecser. The flood kills seven persons and the high pH (~13) of the sludge burned several hundred people and devastated more than 40 km2 (15 sq mi) of ground in the basin of theDanube river. |
| 18 October 2010 | 0 | heavy rain | St. Lucia,West Indies:[21] The flood displaces about 500 people and receives immediate assistance from local government and international organizations. No fatalities nor injuries are reported.[22] |
| 27 –28 July 2011 | 1 | heavy rain | Dubuque County, Iowa –Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States.[23] |
| 11 January 2011 | 35 | heavy rain | 2010–2011 Queensland floods, Australia[24] |
| 7 July 2012 | 172 | heavy rain | 2012 Russian floods Krasnodarsky krai, Russia[25] |
| 7 August 2012 | 89 | monsoon | 2012 Philippine floods Monsoon enhanced byTyphoon Haikui brings torrential rain and floods to Metro Manila and nearby provinces[26] |
| 1 April 2013 | 101 | rain storm | 2013 Argentina floods For five hours, extremely heavy rainfall on northeastern section of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina results in several flash floods that claim the lives of at least 101 people. Greater La Plata is hardest hit with 91 reported deaths, and Greater Buenos Aires reports ten deaths. Is the worst flooding in La Plata's history.[27] |
| 17 November 2013 | 18 | heavy rain | Cyclone Cleopatra, Northeast Sardinia. See Also2013 Sardinia floods |
| 29 –30 April 2014 | 2+ | heavy rain | Alabama, Florida |
| 7 June 2014 | 73 | rain storm | 2014 Baghlan floods High rainfall contributes to the flash flood that destroyed hundreds of mud homes.[28] |
| 7 September 2014 | 300 | monsoon floods | Floods caused by five days of heavy rain kill 300 people.[29] |
| 27 June 2015 | 1 | heavy rain | 2015 Philmont Scout Ranch flash flood,Philmont Scout Ranch,New Mexico |
| 7 July 2015 | 0 | heavy rain | 2015 Ghost Ranch flash flood,Ghost Ranch,New Mexico |
| 14 September 2015 | 21 | rain storms | 2015 Utah floods Sudden downpours cause flash flooding of canyons inHildale, Utah, andZion National Park, killing 21 people- 13 people inHildale and a group of 7 canyoners inZion National Park.[30][31] |
| 25 October 2015 | 17+ | rain storms | Alexandria andNile Delta region of Northern Egypt. Strong rains on 25 October and 4 November cause flash flooding and result in the deaths of at least 17 people, including five electrocuted when atram power line collapsed into a puddle.[32] |
| 5 November 2015 | 3 | rain storms | Flash flooding occurs in the Jordanian capital Amman causing 3 deaths when a severe thunderstorm lasts over 30 minutes. |
| 30 July 2016 | 2 | heavy rain | 2016 Maryland flood – A historic and deadly flash flood strikesEllicott City, Maryland due an estimated 6 inches (15 cm) of rain falling in the city within only two hours. It is said to have been a "1000-year flood" event by theNWS. |
| 15 July 2017 | 10 | heavy rain, wildfire burn scar | 2017 Payson flash floods A flash flood occurred at a popularswimming hole nearPayson,Arizona, the flood kills 10 members of an extended family. |
| 15 November 2017 | 24 | heavy rain | 2017 West Attica floods Flash floods occur in the towns ofMandra,Nea Peramos andMegara, towards west ofAthens, due to heavy rain. 24 people die due to this disaster along with significant damage to property.[33] |
| 26 April 2018 | 10 | heavy rain | Heavy rainfall in theNegev desert causes a flash flood in the Tzafit canyon trapping a group of hikers and resulting in 10 fatalities.[34] |
| 27 May 2018 | 1 | heavy rain | 2018 Maryland flood Just two years after ahistoric and deadly flash flood struck the region, another heavy rain brings around 8 inches (20 cm) in two hours toElliccott City, Maryland, resulting in a disaster that is assessed to be much worse than the previous one. This is the second "1000-year flood" event in two years. |
| 4 July 2018 | 0 | heavy rain | Heavy rainfall causes flash flooding inHouston, Texas, and the surrounding area, causing the cancellation of 4 July festivities.[35] |
| 5 July 2018 | 0 | heavy rain | Heavy rainfall causes flash flooding inCanton, Ohio, and other parts ofStark County.[36] |
| 21 August 2018 | 11 | heavy rain | A flash flood in a gorge in the southernItalian region ofCalabria kills 11 hikers.[37] |
| 25 October 2019 | 10 | heavy rain | Heavy rainfall, total 60 to 120 millimetres (2.4 to 4.7 in) per an hour, and 160 to 280 millimetres (6.3 to 11.0 in) on twelve hours precipitation, and resulting to flash flooding, landslide aroundBoso Peninsula,Chiba Prefecture,Japan.[38] |
| 20 July 2021 | 302 (50 missing) | heavy rain | According toChina Meteorological Administration official confirmed report, a heavy rain 617.1 millimetres (24.30 in) in the past three days by 20 July, including 201.9 millimetres (7.95 in), per a single hour inZhengzhou,Henan Province,China. According toChinese government official confirmed report, flood sweeps away many persons and vehicles are stuck in downtown area, and part section ofZhengzhou Subway Line 5 also damaged, and flash flooding hits neighborhooudKaifeng,Luohe,Xinxiang, total government and economic damaged on 90.98 billionrenminbi (14.08 billionUS dollars).[citation needed] |
| 12 August 2021 | 21 (4 missing) | heavy rain | According to China Meteorological Administration official confirmed report, a heavy rain 459 millimetres (18.1 in) to 519 millimetres (20.4 in) past 18 hours by 12 August inSuizhou,Yicheng,Liulin,Hubei Province,China. including 117.9 millimetres (4.64 in), per a single hour in Liulin. According toChinese government official confirmed report, flood sweeps away many persons and vehicles are stuck in a wide area.[citation needed] |
| 18 August 2021 | 0 | heavy rain | InGävle,Sweden, 161.6 mm of rain was measured by an automatic weather station during a period of 24 hours within the area, 101 mm of which falls in just 2 hours[39] resulting in considerable flooding within multiple counties, including Gävleborg County & Dalarnas county. Entire neighborhoods were flooded, landslides occurred & vehicles were submerged into the waters[40][41][42][43][44] |
| 26 July 2022 | 1 (0 missing) | heavy rain | 12.86 millimetres (0.506 in) is reported in a span of 5 hours inJuly 26, 2022 inSt. Louis,Missouri.[citation needed] |
| 27 –28 July 2022 | 39 | heavy rain | Extremely heavy rain falls over portions ofEastern Kentucky and surrounding areas betweenJuly 27 and July 28, 2022. Some areas report up to 10 inches (250 mm) of rain in less than 12 hours. |
| 21 –22 August 2022 | 1 (0 missing) | heavy rain | 2022 Dallas floods |
| 27 January 2023 | 4 | heavy rain | 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods. NIWA reports a record breaking 260.6 millimeters (10 in) falls across the city ofAuckland, New Zealand in a span of 8 hours, landslides destroy homes, over $10 million worth of high-end luxury vehicles are severely damaged.[45][46][47][48] |
| 12 –13 April 2023 | 0 | heavy rain | 2023 Fort Lauderdale floods. On April 12, 2023, a historic flash flood event occurs inFort Lauderdale, Florida, and surrounding areas. The Fort Lauderdale area reports 25.6 inches (65 cm) of rain within approximately 12 hours.[49] |
| 21 –22 July 2023 | 3 (1 missing) | heavy rain | 2023 Nova Scotia floods |
| 29 October 2024 | 237+ | heavy rain | 2024 Spain floods |
| 8 –9 May 2025 | 104 | heavy rain | Heavy rain causes the Kasaba River, inSouth Kivu,Congo to burst its banks, destroying at least 150 homes.[50] |
| 4 July 2025 | > 132 | heavy rain | July 2025 Central Texas floods |