Spring and early summer here in Vermont was wet. Really, really wet. The lawn was like walking on an over-saturated bath mat. The property sits low and edged by a very large beaver pond. Springtime is expected to be soggy but June's persistent showers kept the water table super high. On this particular evening around 7:00pm I was sitting inside and simply heard more water sounds than normal. The creek just sounded noisier than usual and it wasn't even raining. We went out and watched for 15 minutes as the creek rose two feet and easily quadrupled in volume. And then it was gone.
I know flash floods are common out west, in canyon country, because the ground is too dry and compact to absorb rain water fast enough. (Like in Arizona. oh. Hi Tamara. Happy Birthday.) So the water just sits on the surface, runs down hill, flash flooding the canyons. I guess the same is true when the ground is too wet. The ground couldn't absorb any more water, so the only option was to flow down hill into our beaver pond.
The rain storm must have been just north, northeast-ish, of us. Well, actually I don't know. Generally the weather comes in from the west or south west and moves north, northeast. We are definitely tucked into this little gully. (What do you call a small valley? I need a geography/topography word for this location similar to how an intervale is a New England word for lowlands next to river; or downs is an English word for rolling, grassy, treeless pasture hillsides.) I remember getting rain about an hour or so after the flood happened. Next year, if this happens again, I'd like to chase the flood down the creek into West Halifax and see dump into the Birch Brook or where ever.
There was no damage. The water never breached our property. Another 6-8 inches I would have been a little nervous for Lia's new Tuxedo Garden. One day, maybe next summer or spring I'll clean up the creek....ugh. projects.
-Tim
I know flash floods are common out west, in canyon country, because the ground is too dry and compact to absorb rain water fast enough. (Like in Arizona. oh. Hi Tamara. Happy Birthday.) So the water just sits on the surface, runs down hill, flash flooding the canyons. I guess the same is true when the ground is too wet. The ground couldn't absorb any more water, so the only option was to flow down hill into our beaver pond.
The rain storm must have been just north, northeast-ish, of us. Well, actually I don't know. Generally the weather comes in from the west or south west and moves north, northeast. We are definitely tucked into this little gully. (What do you call a small valley? I need a geography/topography word for this location similar to how an intervale is a New England word for lowlands next to river; or downs is an English word for rolling, grassy, treeless pasture hillsides.) I remember getting rain about an hour or so after the flood happened. Next year, if this happens again, I'd like to chase the flood down the creek into West Halifax and see dump into the Birch Brook or where ever.
There was no damage. The water never breached our property. Another 6-8 inches I would have been a little nervous for Lia's new Tuxedo Garden. One day, maybe next summer or spring I'll clean up the creek....ugh. projects.
-Tim