Summer in Maryland means long nights on the porch enjoying your friends and family, flowers blooming throughout your yard, and basement flooding. Wait a second—one of those doesn’t belong! Unfortunately for many Maryland homeowners, summer storms are known for causing basement flooding. If you are struggling with basement flooding or looking to further waterproof your basement, here’s what you need to know about summer storms and basement flooding.

The most common causes of basement flooding, other than an actual natural disaster, are:

Every source of the water that’s flooding your basement has a different potential solution. Surface water is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to basement flooring. Look for any water draining next to your home’s foundation, especially in

the wake of a summer storm. Check your yard for any signs of overflowing gutters, downspouts that are not pointed in the proper direction, downspouts that are too close to your home, improper pavement grading, improper landscape grading, and cracked sealant around the base of your home. If you found a concrete cause of your basement flooding, that’s great news! Fix the issue and you won’t need to worry about more difficulties in the future.

If you haven’t managed to find a surface water culprit, the cause of your basement flooding is probably located beneath the ground. Unfortunately for your basement, subsurface groundwater is much more difficult to remedy than groundwater that is above the surface. Use a professional to help detect the problem and develop potential remedies. If water beneath your home still isn’t the issue, check to see if it could be potential storm water back up or sewer water back up.