Reply #1: Drought striken areas actually flood quite badly from sudden rain [View All]

[kdmorris]

"Of course, getting 12" or more of rain in a short period of time (few days or less) is far from ideal. Months of drought hardening the soil makes it act more like a paved surface when heavy rain falls, leading to more runoff and less absorption into the ground. That's the cruel irony of summer drought relief. It can often come in the form of infrequent, heavy rain events that can trigger flash flooding, rather than soaking in."

From the weather channel, but still makes the point: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/article/gulf-disturbance-drought-denter_2011-09-01