Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Flooding on the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers was among the worst seen anywhere during the week of Tropical Storm Helene. Why were these floods so severe? Obviously it rained a tremendous amount, but the layout of the landscape, along with the weather, combined to send huge amounts of water from high elevations into river valleys of varying shapes. This video shows French Broad River and Swannanoa River basin geography, as well as details of how small-scale valley shape may have produced floods of higher velocity in areas without wide, flat areas into which the flood could spread. Digital Elevation Models and Microsoft Paint sketches are used to tell the story.
Flooding on the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers was among the worst seen anywhere during the week of Tropical Storm Helene. Why were these floods so severe? Obviously it rained a tremendous amount, but the layout of the landscape, along with the weather, combined to send huge amounts of water from high elevations into river valleys of varying shapes. This video shows French Broad River and Swannanoa River basin geography, as well as details of how small-scale valley shape may have produced floods of higher velocity in areas without wide, flat areas into which the flood could spread. Digital Elevation Models and Microsoft Paint sketches are used to tell the story.
