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New National Hurricane Center Product

With the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season just around the corner, the National Hurricane Center recently announced the official implementation of the new Potential Storm Surge Flooding Map. The new flood map highlights a “worst-case scenario” surge / inundation for any given area during the approach of a tropical cyclone.

What is storm surge?
Along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. In the past, large death tolls have resulted from the rise of the ocean associated with many of the major hurricanes that have made landfall. Hurricane Katrina (2005) is a prime example of the damage and devastation that can be caused by surge. At least 1500 persons lost their lives during Katrina and many of those deaths occurred directly, or indirectly, as a result of storm surge.*

Storm Surge vs. Storm Tide
Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. Storm surge should not be confused with storm tide, which is defined as the water level rise due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide. This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases.*

Click here for more information on the new product.

*courtesy National Hurricane Center website