Heavy rainfall caused areas of flooding on I-93 and other major roadways in Massachusetts on Thursday morning.

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.

Recent flash flooding in Texas​, New Mexico​ and North Carolina​ is highlighting the extreme danger of these natural disasters and the need to be prepared.

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.

Several areas in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and other cities faced flash flooding from severe thunderstorms that hit the region.

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