A flash flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 3:32 p.m. in effect until 7:45 p.m. for Monroe County.

Back-to-back flooding disasters in recent years — in Texas, New Mexico and Kentucky, among many others — have showed that preparing for flash flooding is a new necessity as the planet warms.

An analysis of National Weather Service job vacancies found that in more than a third of offices overseeing flash flood hotspots, one or more of three senior leadership roles are open.

Multiple parts of Central Texas, including Kerr County, were shocked by flash floods Friday when the Guadalupe River and others rose rapidly.

Communities in rural Vermont face damaged homes and washed-out roads after heavy rainfall caused flash flooding.

The U.S. President travels to central Texas to survey damage from the July 4 flash flood that killed at least 120 people.

A flash flood is a rapid rise of water along a stream or in a low-lying urban area, the National Weather Service said. Flash flooding can result from slow-moving thunderstorms, from numerous thunderstorms that develop repeatedly over the same area, or from heavy rains associated with tropical cyclones.

Straighter, smoother streams flow more violently than those that meander due to a reduction in friction. Areas with steeper terrain can see water accelerate downhill at a much faster rate causing a more destructive flash flood than flatter, open areas.