flash flood

American  

noun

• flash floods
  plural

1. a sudden and destructive rush of water down a narrow gully or over a sloping surface, caused by heavy rainfall.

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flash flood British  

noun

1. a sudden short-lived torrent, usually caused by a heavy storm, esp in desert regions

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flash flood Scientific  

/ flăsh /

1. A sudden, localized flood of great volume and short duration, typically caused by unusually heavy rain in a semiarid area. Flash floods can reach their peak volume in a matter of a few minutes and often carry large loads of mud and rock fragments.

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Synonym Usage

See flood.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flash floods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flash flood

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flash flood

Rescuers have pulled two people from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Nepal more than a week after a massive flash flood devastated the Nepal-China border.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Around 85 U.S. citizens are among the thousands missing after a devastating flash flood hit the border region of Nepal and Tibet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

A flash flood watch for northern Arizona remained in effect through midnight Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

A woman in Wales says she has "lost hope" as she awaits news of a family member in Nepal who is missing following the massive flash flood last week.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Instead of feeling distraught over this turn of events, moreover, McCandless was exhilarated: He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• deluge
• torrent