Storm Surge ×

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Encyclopedic Entry storm surge

For the complete encyclopedic entry with media resources, visit: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/storm-surge/

A storm surge is a rise in sea level that occurs during tropical cyclones, intense storms also known as typhoons or hurricanes. The storms produce strong winds that push the water into shore, which can lead to flooding. This makes storm surges very dangerous for coastal regions.

Tropical cyclones are circular storms characterized by high winds and heavy rainfall. They form over warm, tropical oceans. The center of a cyclone is called the eye. The eye is surrounded by a ring of clouds called the eye wall, where the winds are strongest. Surrounding the eye wall are clouds that spiral outward, called spiraling rain bands.

A storm surge is primarily caused by the relationship between the winds and the ocean’s surface. The water level rises where the winds are strongest. In addition, water is pushed in the direction the winds are blowing. The rotation of the Earth causes winds to move toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere—a phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect. If a cyclone develops in the Northern Hemisphere, the surge will be largest in the right-forward part of the storm. In the Southern Hemisphere, the surge will be largest in the left-forward part of the cyclone.

Another factor contributing to storm surge is atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the weight of air in the Earth’s atmosphere. The pressure is higher at the edges of a cyclone than it is at the center. This pushes down the water in the outer parts of the storm, causing the water to bulge at the eye and eye wall— where the winds have helped add to the rise in sea level.

More factors contribute to the strength of a storm surge as the dome of water comes ashore. The water level can reach as high as 10 meters (33 feet) if the storm surge happens at the same time as high tide. The slope of the land just off the coast also plays a part: Water will more easily flood a shallow coast than a steep one.

Storm Surges and Coastal Communities

Tropical cyclones, and the storm surges they generate, are a serious hazard for coastal areas in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Developing in the late summer months (July-August in the Northern Hemisphere, January-February in the Southern Hemisphere), when the waters are warmest, tropical cyclones hit regions as far apart as the Gulf Coast of the United States, northwestern Australia and Bangladesh.

When a cyclone hits land, the accompanying storm surge will most often flood the surrounding coastal area. Flooding is responsible for most deaths and economic damage associated with tropical cyclone landfalls. When a hurricane hit Galveston, Texas, in 1900, the storm surge was responsible for approximately 6,000 deaths. In East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the Bhola cyclone killed as many as 500,000 people in 1970. The storm surge from the Bhola cyclone was estimated to be 10 meters (33 feet) high.

1 of 5 Improvements in forecasting cyclones and issuing early warnings to the public have become indispensable as both coastal populations and the occurrence of extreme storms continue to rise. However, even sophisticated meteorology and storm warnings do not always protect against devastating storm surges. Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge flooded the U.S. coastal communities of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the urban areas of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2005. The flooding killed more than 1,500 people in New Orleans alone, and caused millions of dollars in damage. Homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals were destroyed.

Still, improvements in forecasting greatly benefit regions like the Chesapeake Bay, in the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay suffered severe damage from Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Emergency managers failed to predict Isabel’s extreme storm surges, which caused widespread flooding in the region.

Now, meteorologists and emergency managers monitor the storms forming in the southeast more closely. New computer simulations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) examined the effects of a Category 4 hurricane (131-155 mph winds) landing in the U.S. states of North or South Carolina, hundreds of miles south of the Chesapeake. The simulation showed the hurricane could produce storm surges as high as 5 or 6 meters (18 or 20 feet) along the Chesapeake shoreline. FEMA used the latest version of its computerized SLOSH model to predict the surge. An acronym for "Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes,'' the SLOSH program is used by the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center.

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency is now working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local officials to turn the SLOSH simulation data into updated maps for emergency planning. The new maps show how far inland flooding could stretch under certain conditions. With this new forecasting data, emergency planners and citizens will be better prepared for storm surges.

Government agencies can arrange for residents to evacuate. Some residents don’t have cars and may require transportation to safer ground. Others may not have a place to go and require emergency shelter. Many residents, such as those in hospitals and prisons, are especially at risk.

Advance warning of a strong storm surge also allows homes and businesses to prepare for damage. Business owners can relocate expensive machinery or tools to safe areas, and homeowners can board up windows to protect against strong floods or move furniture and other valuables to a second story.

Wetlands

Coastal residents can reduce the damage done by a storm surge by protecting local wetlands. Wetlands, such as swamps, estuaries, and mud flats, act as sponges for tropical cyclones. As the cyclone makes landfall, the marshy land and plants absorb the water and the energy of the storm surge. Silt and swamp vegetation prevent the most intense part of the storm surge from hitting homes and businesses.

Estuaries are such an important part of our natural environment that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the National Estuary Program in 1987. This program seeks to improve the quality of estuaries to protect important wildlife habitats, public water supplies, and coastal regions affected by severe storms.

The development of coastal wetlands for housing, industry, or agriculture reduces the natural barrier that wetlands provide. Communities can protect themselves against storm surges by maintaining healthy coastal wetland ecosystems.

VOCABULARY

2 of 5 Term Part of Speech Definition accompany verb to join with someone or something. adversely adverb negatively or in a bad way. agriculture noun the art and science of cultivating the land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching).

Army Corps of noun government organization concerned with construction projects. Engineers atmosphere noun layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. atmospheric noun force per unit area exerted by the mass of the atmosphere as gravity pulls it to pressure Earth.

Bhola cyclone noun (1970) storm that caused widespread damage and death in Bangladesh and India.

Carolinas noun the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Chesapeake noun large, shallow estuary of the Susquehanna and other rivers that flow through the Bay U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York and the capital of Washington, D.C., before emptying in the Atlantic Ocean.

Coriolis effect noun the result of Earth's rotation on weather patterns and ocean currents. The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. cyclone noun weather system that rotates around a center of low pressure and includes thunderstorms and rain. Usually, hurricanes refer to cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean. data plural noun (singular: datum) information collected during a scientific study. economic adjective having to do with money. ecosystem noun community and interactions of living and nonliving things in an area.

Environmental noun U.S. government organization whose mission is to "protect human health and the Protection environment." Agency (EPA) estuary noun mouth of a river where the river's current meets the sea's tide. evacuate verb to leave or remove from a dangerous place. exert verb to force or pressure. expensive adjective very costly. eye noun center of a tropical cyclone, characterized by a roughly circular area of light winds and rain-free skies. eye wall noun ring of thunderstorms that surrounds a hurricane's eye.

Federal noun U.S. Homeland Security agency responsible for coordinating response and aid Emergency distribution after natural and manmade disasters. Management Agency (FEMA) flood noun overflow of a body of water onto land. forecast verb to predict, especially the weather. 3 of 5 forecast verb to predict, especially the weather. generate verb to create or begin.

Gulf Coast noun land in the United States surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. habitat noun environment where an organism lives throughout the year or for shorter periods of time. hazard noun danger or risk. high tide noun water level that has risen as a result of the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth. hurricane noun tropical storm with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes are the same thing as typhoons, but usually located in the Atlantic Ocean region.

Hurricane Isabel noun (2003) storm that caused damage to the U.S. states of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Hurricane noun 2005 storm that was one of the deadliest in U.S. history. Katrina low-pressure noun weather pattern characterized by low air pressure, usually as a result of warming. system Low-pressure systems are often associated with storms. machinery noun mechanical appliances or tools used in manufacturing. map noun symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface. marsh noun wetland area usually covered by a shallow layer of seawater or freshwater. meteorologist noun person who studies patterns and changes in Earth's atmosphere. meteorology noun study of weather and atmosphere. mud flat noun area left bare by receding lake or tidal waters.

Northern noun half of the Earth between the North Pole and the Equator. Hemisphere phenomenon noun an unusual act or occurrence. precaution noun action taken to avoid a negative outcome or event. sea level noun base level for measuring elevations. Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a 19-year cycle. shoreline noun beach, or where a body of water meets land. silt noun small sediment particles. simulation noun copy or reenactment.

SLOSH noun (Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes) model simulation program used to determine which areas must be evacuated due to a storm surge. sophisticated adjective knowledgeable or complex.

Southern noun half of the Earth between the South Pole and the Equator. Hemisphere storm noun severe weather indicating a disturbed state of the atmosphere resulting from uplifted air. storm surge noun abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane or other intense storm. Also 4 of 5 storm surge noun abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane or other intense storm. Also called a storm tide.

subtropical adjective bordering the tropics, just north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

swamp noun land permanently saturated with water and sometimes covered with it.

temperature noun degree of hotness or coldness measured by a thermometer with a numerical scale.

transportation noun movement of people or goods from one place to another.

tropical adjective existing in the tropics, the latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.

typhoon noun tropical storm with wind speeds of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. Typhoons are the same thing as hurricanes, but usually located in the Pacific or Indian Ocean region.

urban area noun developed, densely populated area where most inhabitants have nonagricultural jobs.

vegetation noun all the plant life of a specific place.

water supply noun amount of available fresh water for drinking, hygiene, and industrial and agricultural use.

weather noun state of the atmosphere, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloudiness.

wetland noun area of land covered by shallow water or saturated by water.

wind noun movement of air (from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone) caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun.

For Further Exploration

Audio & Video National Geographic Video: Storm Surge National Geographic Channel: Naked Science—Hurricane Surge Websites National Hurricane Center: Storm Surge

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