Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CFM Practice Questions and Study Guide

Riverine flooding occurs when there is an excessive amount of water in a river, causing it to overflow its banks and flooding nearby areas. This can be triggered by heavy rainfall, snowmelt, or the release of a large amount of water from a dam or reservoir. Tsunamis, earthquakes, and heavy urbanization may contribute to flooding in certain circumstances, but are not the primary cause of riverine flooding. Tsunamis are large waves caused by underwater earthquakes, and can cause flooding near coastlines. Earthquakes can potentially cause a dam or reservoir to fail, leading to flooding. Urbanization can also exacerbate flooding by limiting the amount of land available to absorb excess water. However, none of these directly cause riverine flooding like the overflowing of a river channel does.