SURVIVE THE STORM: Why we have so much flooding

It was just a little over a year ago that flood waters were raging through the intersection at chestnut expressway and national avenue in Springfield and it just so happens that new research is telling us Springfield may be one of those flood prone areas in the country.

The National Weather Service took on a research project where we took in all reports across the U.S. and developed a map showing where the flooding is most frequent.

There are a couple bulls-eyes a few in northeast part of the U.S. but one right here over southwest Missouri.

Our region here experiences some of the highest frequency of flash flooding across the U.S.

We have rocky soil, and it doesn't absorb precipitation as it does as much across the Great Plains.

There is one geographic feature here that leads to more flash flooding.

It's called the Ozark plateau and if you look at the terrain across southwest Missouri, streams and creeks and small rivers all start right here on the plateau. Springfield is directly on the plateau. So we have numerous springs and creeks that start here.

The new research also looks at the time of the year that flash flooding is most frequent and you might be surprised.

It's the cold season in the month of December we have the most flash flood fatalities,

If you have full vegetation then that absorbs the rainfall but in the cold season you don't have vegetation to soak that up. We do see enhanced flash flooding in the cold season during these heavy rain events.

Despite the high frequency of flooding in Springfield, you may also be surprised to know that there has only been 1 fatality in Greene county since 1994.