SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — Hurricane Florence is set to make landfall along the Carolina coast and it’s bringing devastating rain and wind. Experts say with the right conditions a hurricane is possible here in San Diego, but what kind of impact would it have?
Some of San Diego's pristine coastline could find itself under water in the next hundred years with the chance of damage extending further inland during a bad storm.
It's important to mention there are a lot of factors that could change and even scientists say it's anyone's guess what could happen.
Studies show sea levels could rise one to eight feet with six being fairly consistent. Basically, we'd be underwater along the coast of Imperial Beach and much of the Strand in the next century.
But researchers caution this is bathtub data. If a storm hits it creates a surge.
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Just five feet of water is enough to send the surge into homes and businesses. When that gets up to 7 to 12 feet that's enough to fill the first floor of a building. 12 to 15 feet puts most homes completely under water. And 20 feet of water would overwhelm entire cities.
San Diego experienced hurricane force winds back in 1858 when a tropical cyclone caused widespread damage along the coast.
NOAA researchers estimate if the cyclone hit today, the damage would cost about $650-million and cause significant loss of life.
It's not unheard of in modern times. Tropical storm Kathleen dumped almost a foot of water in 1976. Its track from Baja California north is the most likely of any potential future storm
That's because it requires water warmer than 80 degrees to build strength.
In the past it would start to break up closer to San Diego as water temperatures cooled, but temperatures are rising.