Monsoon/Floods By: Elisa What is a Monsoon flood? Monsoon is a pattern of winds that change direction with the season, it is formed by heated land around the cooler body of water, this results in a rainy and dry season throughout the year. Monsoon flood when water overflows a stream, river or other bodies of water during the seasonal wind change. Wind that occurs with the changing of the seasons, sometimes there will be rains that produce floods. Monsoons happen when air heats differently over different land, the summer monsoons by the sun heating the land's surface a lot more than the ocean, it produces extremely big heavy rain, flooding along the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Mekong Rivers.
Why does Monsoons happen? Monsoons happen when the pattern of air changes direction depending on the season and the change of temperature on different surfaces from land to ocean. For example, the sun heats the land far more than the ocean. This change in temperature can produce heavy rain and floods when the winds are blown into the land. Monsoons occur moisture and Rainfall from the tropical Atlantic over to the Amazon River and into northern Argentina.
Where and when do Monsoons usually occur? Monsoons in Africa blows over west-central Africa, people living in the dry Sahel depends on monsoons for water. The North American monsoons are also called Arizona monsoon, it often blows over to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, in the summer around April through September. It can form heavy rain, hail, strong winds, or even flash floods. The South American
Monsoons is produced by the heating summer, over deserts in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
Are some monsoons stronger than others? There are different times when Monsoons are stronger than any other time of the year. Monsoons that happens in the summer around April to September can bring in heavy rainfall and humid weather, therefore having it’s named as a wet monsoon. Wet monsoons are usually more powerful than dry monsoon during winter months. Depending on how much heat the sun warms the land and ocean, moist air will be formed at different degrees over the sea. Which then switches the direction of cooler and humid air to the land from the ocean, one example is the North America monsoon.
What damage do monsoons cause? The heavy amount of water brought in by monsoon causes flooding, and there are 4 types of floods. An areal flood can build up to persistent and moderate to heavy rainfall the most commonly seen in the low lying areas. Another one is the river floods. River or creeks have a specific point that records water level. When persistent rainfall and snowmelt or combination of two passes it will overflow riverbank. The third is flash floods the kind of flood happens quickly, usually within 6 hours of heavy rainfall. The fourth one is a coastal wind, it happens especially during tropical storm seasons. Damages from monsoon flooding can have a threat to properties, agriculture, farming, and loss of human lives.
How do scientists study and predict monsoons? Scientist predicts monsoons by making sure where the monsoon will be and how strong it is by recording the weather. Because most floods happen when there are heavy rains or ice and snow melting. But some floods are unpredictable like flash floods, it happens incredibly fast so it’s unpredictable. Areas, where there are more people near the rivers, are at greater risk from flash floods. When there are more building construction, highways, and parking lots, the amount of rain absorbed by the ground is reduced. Roads that are built underground, parking lots, and basements can become death traps. When there are monsoons the air mass from high pressure to low from the ocean to land in the
summer. In the winter the process is reversed, the changing of winds contributes to monsoons in Asia, often bring heavy rains. Smaller monsoons take place in Africa and northern Australia.
What can you do to stay safe from a monsoon? On a hot summer day, it could be really hot but it can also bring a big chance of thunderstorms or other extreme weathers including a monsoon flood. To be safe during a flood you need to check the doors and windows, seal and secure the windows and stay indoor. Avoid driving in flooded roads or areas. During a flood always be ready to evacuate out of your house in case of danger. Always update the latest news so that you could know what and where the flood is or what is happening. Look out for any leaks or accumulating water in your house, in case the water kept on.
Fun Facts:Â A monsoon flood happened at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889. The incident happened when the Eastern dam collapsed after many days of heavy rainfall. At that time Water ran down the Conemaugh River valley at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour, this is equivalent to the speed of a car. The wall of water is 10 meters high which ransacked Johnstown. When the flood is happening, 2,209 people were killed which is most of the people in Johnstown and destroyed 1,600 houses. After the flood people that survived has to suffer through the damage that the flood made.
This picture of the Monsoon flood diagram shows that when constant heavy rainfall, the ground tries to absorb the water. However, many days of heavy rain has made the ground saturated, mudslides can happen at hillside which can be a threat to people and houses nearby.
Sources Get - EasyBib Add-ons Use APA format
Library Database Sources: Rauber, R. M. (2019). Monsoon. In World Book Advanced. Retrieved from https://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar368780 Belmont, P. (2019). Flood. In World Book Advanced. Retrieved from https://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar201020
Websites: National Geographic Society. (2012, October 9). monsoon. Retrieved from National Geographic Society website: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/monsoon/ Kids Ahead - Subjects - Extreme Weather. (2012). Retrieved from Kidsahead.com website: http://kidsahead.com/subjects/5-extreme-weather
Books: Fradin, D. B. (1982). Floods.
Videos: Storm Shield App. (2014). What is Monsoon? [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYZ9V5gzGrw
Photos: Photo 1 for why does monsoons happen: What Exactly is a Monsoon? (2013). Retrieved from Weatherworksinc.com website: https://weatherworksinc.com/news/what-is-a-monsoon
Photo 2 for North America monsoon: Arizona and the North American Monsoon System. (2017, October 25). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from Cooperative Extension | The University of Arizona website: https://extension.arizona.edu/arizona-north-american-monsoon-system
Photo 3 for what damage do monsoon cause:
SCMP. (2019, July 14). Retrieved December 6, 2019, from South China Morning Post website: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3018546/dozens-dead-nepal-after-monsoon-ra ins-lead-floods-landslides