6 Haunting Flash Flood Videos that Show Their True Power

Flash floods can occur in minutes or hours after heavy rainfall, and it doesn’t have to be raining where you are for a flash flood to occur. Rain that falls at a higher elevation can cause them. Because of their speed and unpredictability, people are often taken by surprise by flash floods.

In our modern era, people always have their smartphones on them, so more flash floods have been caught on video. These videos give scientists important information about the way flash floods work. This information can help keep people safer in the future.

Here are some absolutely stunning and terrifying flash flood videos that have been caught on video. Thanks to the intrepid storm chasers who take the risks to get these amazing natural disasters on camera.

1. Flash Flood in the Ilgraben in Switzerland

The Ilgraben is a notoriously unstable area of geologic activity. It is known for mudslides, flash floods, rockfalls, and erosion. Scientists use this area to learn more about these events.

In 2020, an intense flash flood, dark with debris, was captured on camera in this area. The flash flood races down a mountain ravine, changing it from a quiet, rocky scene to one with deafening roaring water. As the water rushes downstream, you can see there is so much debris in it that it looks more like liquid dirt. However, there is water under all that debris! The force of the wall of water and dirt easily pushes large boulders out of the way like pebbles.

2. Flash Flood in Rimrock, Arizona

Dr. Reed Timmer is a meteorologist and storm chaser. His popular YouTube channel has more than 500,000 subscribers. If you like wild weather, you will love his channel. He has the knowledge to know where to go to get the most intense footage, and when to get out of harm’s way.

After days of heavy rains in 2022, Dr. Timmer knew there could be the potential for flash flooding in Rimrock, Arizona right in between Phoenix and Flagstaff. After observing the storm, which included lightning and thunder, he headed out to Beaver Creek which was totally dry at the time.

As he surveyed the area, he tells viewers he thinks he saw the flood, and sure enough, a few minutes later you can hear the telltale rushing of water. The water comes down the wash and completely fills it, flooding the road that crosses right in the middle. The area which was just dry a few minutes ago is now an uncrossable raging river that looks to be perhaps 30 or more feet wide. Dr. Timmer then uses his drone to show the full scale of the huge flash flood, which he says was caused by over 2.5 inches of rain.

3. Flash Floods in Central Italy

In September of 2022, flash flooding struck central Italy, and security cameras captured some of the mayhem that followed. The floods were caused when, in some areas, over 15 inches of rain fell in a few hours.

In Senigallia, a seaside village, water rushed down the main street in the middle of the night. Other villages then spent days shoveling out dirt and debris, waiting for government aid to arrive. Some residents expressed gratitude that it didn’t happen during the busy tourist season for economic reasons, and because they fear more people would have died. As it was, 9 people died in the floods.

4. Flash Flood in Escalante, Utah

Dr. Reed Timmer has done it again. After 3 inches of heavy rain came down in Utah, he caught this powerful flash flood on camera with a drone. The flash flood has so much debris that the front wall of the flood looked more like a mudflow with sticks than a flood of water.

Commenters on the video enjoyed seeing how the fluid dynamics were clearly shown in the video as well as the dynamics between the debris and water flow. This combination of drone and handheld footage gives a really clear view of this intense and roaring flash flood before it empties into the Escalante River.

5. Gardiner Montana/Yellowstone National Park 2022 Flash Flood

In the summer of 2022, devastating flash floods hit Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas. One resident caught a shocking video of a house being swept away in the flood in Gardiner, Montana.

Other videos captured the flood raging through the park and damaging park structures. After the flood, 10,000 visitors had to get evacuated from the park. Many areas of the park were closed for about a week. After about 3 weeks, more than 90% of the park was back open and accessible due to an incredible recovery effort. Some areas are still affected, but the park is working on repairing everything that was damaged in the flood to get it back up to running at 100%.

6. Flash Flood in Tropic, Utah

The southwest seems to have the right conditions to create epic flash floods.

Another amazing storm chaser caught this epic footage of a flash flood near Bryce Canyon National Park in 2021. The most impressive moment might be when the flood takes down an entire large tree. The muddy waters are dangerous and raging fast.

In the video, it appears the flood was probably going over the bridge where the viewer is standing but had died down a bit when the video was taken. There is debris and mud all over the bridge. Commenters on the video caution that it is dangerous to stand on a bridge during a flash flood, so this is a “don’t try this at home” situation.

Up Next:

• Flash Floods and Red Waterfalls Create an Otherworldly Scene in Moab
• The 5 All-Time Biggest Floods in Florida
• The 11 Worst Floods in U.S. History
• This Video Perfectly Shows The Speed, Power, and Danger of Flash Floods

The photo featured at the top of this post is © swa182/Shutterstock.com