Footage from West Virginia shows how quickly a flash flood emergency can become life-threatening.
Here's what to know
The viral footage, posted to YouTube, follows storm chaser Reed Timmer as he drives his customized "Dominator F150" through the flooding and warns viewers about the danger on the ground.
In the caption of Timmer's video, he wrote, "Life-threatening flash flood forces evacuations and swift water rescues south and east of Charleston, West Virginia as the ring of fire pattern continues."
The "ring of fire" Timmer references is a weather pattern that can repeatedly bring thunderstorms over the same area, raising the risk of flash flooding and compounding damage when the ground is already saturated.
He also reported that "Multiple rounds of severe storms hammered Charleston, dumping rainfall rates over 3 inches per hour." That kind of rainfall can very quickly overwhelm roads, storm drains, creeks, and low-lying neighborhoods within minutes.
In the video itself, water streams across roads, while lightning fills the sky. The footage makes it apparent why flash floods are considered to be among the most dangerous weather disasters.
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These floods can form with little warning and sweep away vehicles, damage homes, and cut off emergency access routes. When water rises quickly, people can become trapped in cars, stranded in buildings, or forced to evacuate with almost no time to prepare.
One commenter on Timmer's video wrote, "How scary for the people. Thank you for trying to be helpful."
More background
Worsening extreme weather disasters threaten lives and livelihoods in several overlapping ways.
Intense downpours can endanger public health through injuries, contaminated water, and disrupted access to medical care. They can strain community safety systems by overwhelming first responders and triggering rescues. Plus, they can undermine economic stability when homes, roads, businesses, and public infrastructure are flooded or shut down.
Events like this will be more common due to climate change. A hotter atmosphere can hold more moisture, which can help fuel heavier rainfall events. That does not mean every storm is due to climate change, but it does mean communities in flood-prone areas are increasingly facing bursts of rain intense enough to cause severe disruption in a very short time.
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