AIR Currents
Two feet of moving water will wash away most vehicles
October 24, 2013
Did you know that two feet of moving water will wash away most vehicles-even SUVs and trucks?
Water is heavy and powerful, and a flow of about 8 mph exerts pressure equivalent to the wind speeds of an EF5 tornado (261-318 mph). Every cubic yard of water that a car displaces weighs 1,700 pounds, and the vehicle becomes correspondingly more buoyant. A vehicle will be carried away as soon as the force of the flowing water-be it from river flooding, tsunami, or coastal surge-is greater than the friction force holding it in place.
