Floods typically result from excessive precipitation and can vary in severity based on factors like topography, weather patterns, soil moisture, and land use. Floods are usually long-term events lasting several days.

Inland flooding, specific to Houston’s inland location, happens when excessive rain causes rivers and streams to overflow. This type of flooding often results from large weather systems with prolonged rainfall or from tropical storms. In Houston, intense, short-duration rainfall from unstable storms frequently causes significant flooding. Floods are a recurring natural event that can occur at any time of the year.