Hurricane Preparedness week is May 25-31. We are taking this opportunity to learn more about disaster forecasting and disaster preparation.
What is Storm Surge? It’s a term that we hear forecasters and meteorologists use frequently when discussing hurricanes and tropical storms. But what does it mean and knowing what it means, how do we prepare adequately to deal with it?
Terms to know: (Definitions provided by the National Weather Service www.new.noaa.gov)
- Storm Surge: an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tide
- Storm Tide: the water level rise during a storm due to the combination of storm surge and astronomical tide (storm surge + high tide level)
- Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: a 1-5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed.
(Note: A low wind scale does not necessarily correspond with a low storm surge. Similarly, a high wind scale does not necessarily correspond with a high storm surge. Independent factors affect wind and storm surge).
Follow the link below for another YOUTUBE video in the Hurricane Preparedness series.
Storm Surge, provided by the U.S. National Weather Service