The significance of extreme floods in the transformation of mountain valleys and causing flood risk, on the example of the July 2001 flood that occurred in the upper catchment of the river Skawa

Abstract

In July 2001, in the Carpathian basin of the Vistula, there was a lot of rainfall and storms. The meteorological situation of that time was similar to that of 1934 when a great flood occurred. On 25 July (2001st), in the upper part of the Skawa catchment, a violent storm occurred. Its centre was located right at Makowska Góra. The daily precipitation in Maków Podhalański was 190.8 mm that day. Most of the precipitation occurred during a storm. Although the precipitation was much lower in the other stations located in the drainage basin, the flow of the Skawa in Sucha Beskidzka was 660 m3 s-1, while the constructed dam in Świnna-Poręba – 1019 m3 s-1. Precipitation was so abundant that the floodplains terraces of the Skawa have been inundated, and made the streams flowing down the Makowska Mountain spill out of the trough. The centre of Maków Podhalański and the neighbouring streets were destroyed. The main current flowed through the streets of Źródlana, Krótka, Kościelna, Rynek, and Wolności. The biggest losses were caused by the Księży Potok and several smaller streams (Rzyczki, Grabce, and Czarny Potok) that poured out of the trough and flowed through them. The biggest losses have been incurred by the Budzów and Zembrzyce municipalities located on the other side of the mountain. The losses were caused by a small Paleczka stream.