Ever Wonder Why It Floods Easily In Amarillo? Here’s The Reason.

While this summer hasn't been as bad as last summer when it comes to rain in Amarillo, we've still seen some pretty strong storms roll through the area. Now, the storms we've gotten this season haven't lasted nearly as long as they did last year.

However, they dump a lot of rain in a hurry, so it's not like it's just a simple rain shower. We're talking maybe 20-30 minutes storms that hit hard and heavy, then roll out and break out the sunshine.

Why is it though that these quick storms are still flooding the city? Sure, it's only for a brief time that it floods us, but the city will see standing water in so many different places. I know the street I live in has absolutely no drainage and it becomes a lake within 10 minutes of a big storm.

So what causes Amarillo to flood so quickly? It all comes down to the playa lakes. Amarillo is built on a few major flood plains, so these playa lakes were created to promote the runoff for the water when it rains.

Because of all the development of the land around the city, some of the lakes have disappeared, creating less places for the water to run off to. With no lakes for it to fall into, the water still has to runoff somewhere.

Sadly, there aren't a lot of places for it to run off to anymore, and the asphalt and concrete become it's resting place. As we well know, those types of surfaces aren't exactly prone to catching a ton of water. It'll take a bit and seep in, but it can't take it as fast as it needs to.

The water sits still on those surfaces and causes the quick flooding. Now, as long as it's not an extended storm, the water will dissipate relatively quickly and things will get back to normal, but any kind of severe storm that dumps a lot of water fast will cause nearly immediate flooding in many parts of the city.

The more you know, right?