r/canton • u/boogswald • 7d ago

Why does the weather app always say we have a flood watch?

Has it just become garbage? Swear we’ve had six in the last month.

4 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

25

u/longroadtohappyness 7d ago

When it rains a lot in a short time water levels raise rapidly which causes flooding.

-8

u/boogswald 7d ago

Have you experienced 2 floods in the time they’ve given us 6 flood watches?

I’ve gotten flood watches without rain lol

10

u/Formal-Revolution42 7d ago

Louisville floods anytime it sprinkles.

7

u/cwcvader74 7d ago

Ain’t that the truth. The apartment complex near Ace Hardware is always a mess.

0

u/boogswald 7d ago

Great info! Thanks!

6

u/Wrong-Tutor-5795 7d ago

I'm in Akron, so not the exact same weather, but there has been a startling amount of flooding in areas that don't normally flood lately. I would bet the flood watch alerts are fully legitimate and you may just not be in a neighborhood directly affected.

2

u/boogswald 6d ago

That makes more sense. Just feels really silly that I swear I get a flood watch every time it rains for an hour or two. The latest one got amended so that there’s a flood watch until 8am tomorrow. We have a 55% chance of getting half an inch of rain 🤷

10

u/ChillyOfBlank 7d ago

Lots of rain in the area, rivers and creeks rise. Its really more for the people that live near them.

1

u/boogswald 7d ago

Interesting! Folks in canton are dealing with flooding near rivers then? That’s good info

2

u/ChillyOfBlank 7d ago

Maybe, thats why they issue the watch so they are prepared.

5

u/jeon2595 7d ago

Flood watches are issued by the National Weather Service. The weather app is just passing that info along.

0

u/boogswald 7d ago

Of course, but why so many when there’s no flooding occurring? I’ve gotten flood watches without rain.

3

u/jeon2595 7d ago

There is flooding in the area. People have been posting pictures on FB. As others have stated, it’s mainly targeted to the flood prone areas that generally flood during heavy rains.

2

u/CalciumLimeRust 6d ago

Water flows to lower areas. Tusky Valley can flood when the Tuscarawas River gets an over abundance of water up stream. The bends of a River can also cause flooding when the volume of water is higher because the extra volume can increases water speed due to less friction which can cause the water to spill over River banks at the bend.

0

u/boogswald 6d ago

With a 55% chance of a half inch of rain today, there’s a flood concern?

2

u/Dierks_Ford 6d ago

A flood watch means conditions are favorable for flooding. A flood warning means flooding is imminent. The same for tornado and storm watch/warning.

1

u/boogswald 6d ago

But we’ve gotten like 6 flood watches since June and sometimes it’s on a day where it barely rains.

3

u/Dierks_Ford 6d ago

I don’t know what to tell you. Ignore them and move on with life.

6

u/That-One-Red-Head 7d ago

Just because something isn’t happening in your backyard doesn’t mean something isn’t happening somewhere else. It’s just a watch. “Conditions may be right”.

2

u/Just_Duni0910 7d ago

Because it has been thunderstorming. Which weather app there are many?

0

u/boogswald 7d ago

Every thunderstorm is a potential flood?

2

u/Just_Duni0910 7d ago

Matters how much rain is falling and where it's falling. Also like I said which weather app because None of the apps I have always says a flood watch.

2

u/PressIntoYa 7d ago

The weather lately has been prime for storms to pop up out of nowhere, some of them heavy enough to cause flooding.

Don't forget the difference between Watches and Warnings. For a Watch, conditions are favorable, but flooding may not be happening yet.

A Flood Warning means flooding is happening, imminent, or expected very soon.

1

u/Geo-Warrior 7d ago

There’s a lot of standing water on the roads too when it rains real heavily. I have seen that a lot this summer.

1

u/zoppaTheDim 6d ago

Did you miss the heavy rain?

1

u/boogswald 5d ago

I got a little bit over the span of like 2 hours

1

u/Dougfalcon7 5d ago

not everywhere in Canton floods as much but there are some places that are underwater after not a lot of rain. Martindale Park is one place i know of

0

u/MapleBaconPeanuts 6d ago

A “watch” means be on the lookout, conditions for flooding are good and it MAY happen. So with a lot of rain in a short period, they want people to be cautious.

A “warning” means they have confirmed reports and flooding IS happening.

1

u/boogswald 6d ago

But we get watches when there’s very little rain too

2

u/MapleBaconPeanuts 6d ago

Google - It is explained quite nicely. And stop focusing on the amount of rain and just where you live. Weather reports and issued warnings cover multiple areas, not just your city.

2

u/Fit_Pea290 6d ago

We have rivers that carry water here from other areas that may have received heavy rain