Flash Flood Video (Forest Falls, in the SB Mtns)

tarol · Post by **tarol** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:20 am

Several hikers were rescued

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_21337023

Be careful out there!

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:55 pm

That's amazing to see! Anyone know how much rain fell in what amount of time to produce that?

Post by **Taco** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:52 pm

That's pretty intense.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:22 am

Taco wrote: ↑That's pretty intense.

Yeah, and no visual indicators.

Not that I'm an expert on flash floods, but I've read that one should look out for:
-Increasing water level
-Changes in water color
-Debris or vegetation in the water
All of the above may presage a flash flood.

None of those indicators were present that I could see. The water level appeared essentially normal until the flash flood hit like a wall. Neither was there any color change that I could see nor were there any bits of flotsam and jetsam. The only warning would presumably be the noise.

God help a person down in that drainage crossing the creek when something like that roars through.

Some of you have probably read Christopher Brennan's account of the deaths from the flash flood (mud flow?) in Bailey Canyon in 1994. If not, it's worth a read. RIP John and Matthew Henderson.

HJ