Occasional snow storms blanket the southern region, except for the southern portions of Florida and Texas. Blizzards, characterized by subfreezing temperatures, very strong winds and drifting snow, sometimes occur in the western plains. Localized episodes of freezing rain and ice storms occur periodically causing extensive damage in some cases. Flooding Damaging floods have affected much of the South particularly prior to dam construction and flow management of major river systems. The risk assessments associated with flooding, hurricanes, and wind are presented in Table 2 .
Harmful floods are rare, however, areas within most states are subject to local heavy rains.
In Florida, the impacts from heavy rains are sometimes just as severe as droughts due to limited surface runoff gradient. Flash floods, a frequent result of high intensity thunderstorms, may occur in several southern states. In Louisiana, flooding rains can occur during any month of the year, but are most frequent in late winter and early spring. The flood season in Mississippi is usually during the first six months of the year. Due to persistent thunderstorms or heavy rains that originate in the Gulf, flooding can also occur during late summer and early fall.