What Is Hurricane Storm Surge, and Why Can It Be So Catastrophic?

{"audio":{"members":[]},"gallery":{"members":[{"desc":"2022年9月13日，江苏南京，受台风“梅花”影响，南京上空乌云密布。","height":2962,"id":"75bc1cea2f85a07ded73e465dba004eau5","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1.49,"url":"//rs1.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files\/imageDir\/75bc1cea2f85a07ded73e465dba004eau5.jpg","width":5272},{"desc":"2022年9月13日，江苏南京，受台风“梅花”影响，南京上空乌云密布。    <map lang="701026"></map><ins date-time="657611"></ins><sup dropzone="849980"></sup><ins draggable="191529"></ins><time draggable="745520"></time><var lang="733240"></var><font date-time="331909"></font><var draggable="830544"></var><div><b>By Anthony C. Didlake Jr.</b></div><map date-time="552633"></map><area dir="652598"></area><ins dir="867585"></ins><var draggable="707073"></var><tt dropzone="368830"></tt><sup dir="311275"></sup><tt date-time="438747"></tt><div>Of all the hazards that hurricanes bring, storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property along the coast. It can sweep homes off their foundations, flood riverside communities miles inland, and break up dunes and levees that normally protect coastal areas against storms.<br></div><react-trigger trigger="view"></react-trigger><area dropzone="129149"></area><ins dir="149782"></ins><area dropzone="164315"></area><area date-time="934033"></area><map lang="686236"></map><map draggable="230775"></map><font dir="805405"></font><tt draggable="915276"></tt><div>As a hurricane reaches the coast, it pushes a huge volume of ocean water ashore. This is what we call storm surge.</div><map dropzone="754137"></map><area dropzone="541607"></area><map dropzone="392669"></map><area lang="879005"></area><map dir="597010"></map><sup draggable="885378"></sup><div>This surge appears as a gradual rise in the water level as the storm approaches. Depending on the size and track of the hurricane, storm surge flooding can last for several hours. It then recedes after the storm passes.</div><area draggable="521065"></area><dfn lang="558570"></dfn><area dir="804727"></area><dfn lang="764814"></dfn><area date-time="555448"></area><map dropzone="901413"></map><map dir="915089"></map><font date-time="652357"></font><ins date-time="529351"></ins><samll dropzone="775757"></samll><div>Water level heights during a hurricane can reach 20 feet or more above normal sea level. With powerful waves on top of it, a hurricane’s storm surge can cause catastrophic damage.</div><dfn lang="923517"></dfn><time dir="540710"></time><area draggable="901982"></area><bdo draggable="631238"></bdo><var dropzone="494952"></var><time dropzone="398856"></time><ins dir="409702"></ins><time date-time="168693"></time><var lang="321062"></var><samll dropzone="772626"></samll><div><h2>What determines how high storm surge gets?</h2></div><time dir="813220"></time><area dropzone="854186"></area><map lang="534171"></map><bdo date-time="915958"></bdo><sup lang="852748"></sup><font draggable="244560"></font><samll date-time="311273"></samll><bdo draggable="429905"></bdo><samll date-time="359183"></samll><div>Storm surge begins over the open ocean. The strong winds of a hurricane push the ocean waters around and cause water to pile up under the storm. The low air pressure of the storm also plays a small role in lifting the water level. The height and extent of this pile of water depend on the strength and size of the hurricane.</div><font date-time="583184"></font><font dropzone="878641"></font><samll date-time="663831"></samll><var date-time="722451"></var><dfn dir="783864"></dfn><div>As this pile of water moves toward the coast, other factors can change its height and extent.</div><ins draggable="124279"></ins><area lang="197968"></area><dfn dropzone="409879"></dfn><map date-time="115782"></map><ins dropzone="678130"></ins><dfn lang="765780"></dfn><dfn lang="935473"></dfn><area lang="313838"></area><sup dropzone="492671"></sup><tt dir="521637"></tt><div>If a coastal area has a sea floor that gently slopes away from the coastline, it’s more likely to see a higher storm surge than an area with a steeper drop-off. Gentle slopes along the Louisiana and Texas coasts have contributed to some devastating storm surges. Hurricane Katrina’s surge in 2005 broke levees and flooded New Orleans. Hurricane Ike’s 15- to 17-foot storm surge and waves swept hundreds of homes off Texas’ Bolivar Peninsula in 2008. Both were large, powerful storms that hit in vulnerable locations.</div><area draggable="929061"></area><map dir="543957"></map><ins dir="771718"></ins><ins dropzone="662134"></ins><dfn lang="224354"></dfn><area date-time="139117"></area><var dropzone="872356"></var><ins dir="199204"></ins><area dir="644321"></area><bdo date-time="909256"></bdo><div>The shape of the coastline can also shape the surge. When storm surge enters a bay or river, the geography of the land can act as a funnel, sending the water even higher.</div><time date-time="867777"></time><area lang="209556"></area><map draggable="785124"></map><time date-time="243961"></time><area date-time="278841"></area><var draggable="449760"></var><tt dir="106842"></tt><div><h2>Other factors that shape storm surge</h2></div><font date-time="406302"></font><map dropzone="701767"></map><var dir="117000"></var><map lang="866771"></map><tt date-time="542518"></tt><tt date-time="771962"></tt><map date-time="971777"></map><font date-time="443502"></font><sup draggable="548300"></sup><area date-time="471348"></area><div>Ocean tides – caused by the gravity of the moon and sun – can also strengthen or weaken the impact of storm surge. So, it’s important to know the timing of the local tides compared to the hurricane landfall.</div><var lang="343185"></var><font draggable="439031"></font><tt lang="477008"></tt><area date-time="709014"></area><font dropzone="191532"></font><area dir="129328"></area><sup draggable="607460"></sup><dfn date-time="305526"></dfn><dfn date-time="559746"></dfn><tt dir="766952"></tt><div>At high tide, the water is already at an elevated height. If landfall happens at high tide, the storm surge will cause even higher water levels and bring more water further inland. The Carolinas saw those effects when Hurricane Isaias hit at close to high tide on Aug. 3, 2020. Isaias brought a storm surge of about 4 feet at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but the water level was more than 10 feet above normal.<br></div><bdo dropzone="131625"></bdo><map lang="427319"></map><var dropzone="670084"></var><tt draggable="451199"></tt><bdo lang="546631"></bdo><map draggable="263203"></map><var draggable="210150"></var><tt draggable="942460"></tt><time lang="920374"></time><area date-time="535342"></area><div><span>How storm surge and high tide add up to coastal flooding.</span><span><span color="#515767" size="2"><svg role="img" fill="#515767" width="1.5rem" height="1.5rem"><use xlink:href="#camera" filter="0"></use></svg>(The COMET Program/UCAR and National Weather Service)</span></span></div><dfn date-time="443197"></dfn><var draggable="617720"></var><ins lang="961124"></ins><ins lang="377656"></ins><sup draggable="925692"></sup><map draggable="740662"></map><div>Sea level rise is another growing concern that influences storm surge.</div><font dropzone="976235"></font><ins draggable="726829"></ins><time date-time="212403"></time><area dir="752341"></area><sup dropzone="852966"></sup><area dir="816697"></area><map draggable="240334"></map><map dir="396870"></map><div>As water warms, it expands, and that has slowly raised sea level over the past century as global temperatures have risen. Freshwater from melting of ice sheets and glaciers also adds to sea level rise. Together, they elevate the background ocean height. When a hurricane arrives, the higher ocean means storm surge can bring water further inland, to a more dangerous and widespread effect.</div>。</p><p><img src="/tupian_1/qqjia_069[1].jpg" alt=""/></p><p>二 | ","height":2962,"id":"50157d95378f97eda8c0551586c0021bu5","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1.58,"url":"//rs1.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files\/imageDir\/50157d95378f97eda8c0551586c0021bu5.jpg","width":5272},{"desc":"2022年9月13日，江苏南京，受台风“梅花”影响，南京上空乌云密布。","height":2962,"id":"5dac3128aae13c0a407e5a6a70a0a083u5","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1.15,"url":"//rs1.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files\/imageDir\/5dac3128aae13c0a407e5a6a70a0a083u5.jpg","width":5272},{"desc":"2022年9月13日，江苏南京，受台风“梅花”影响，南京上空乌云密布。","height":2962,"id":"ab37fbc02985072de6fefcdbcc3f1050u5","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1.58,"url":"//rs1.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files\/imageDir\/ab37fbc02985072de6fefcdbcc3f1050u5.jpg","width":5272},{"desc":"2022年9月13日，江苏南京，受台风“梅花”影响，南京上空乌云密布。</p><p><img src="/tupian_1/htHTVL75.jpg" alt=""/></p><p>三 | ","height":2962,"id":"960451a7e5d7e847000780288fccc136u5","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1.22,"url":"//rs1.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files\/imageDir\/960451a7e5d7e847000780288fccc136u5.jpg","width":5272}]},"video":{"members":[]}}

大秦帝国之纵横

What Is Hurricane Storm Surge, and Why Can It Be So Catastrophic?_我的网站