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. Image and caption: NOAA
Excerpts; AFP
Hurricane Irene blasted ashore in North Carolina on Saturday, unleashing and knocking down trees and power lines as it moved north on a track to batter major US cities…
Hurricane LAtest Updates, NOAA
NOAA Warnings, Public Advisory:
Storm surge:
An extremely dangerous storm tide will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 9 feet above ground level in the hurricane warning area in North Carolina… Storm surge will raise as much as 4 to 8 feet from the North Carolina Virginia border Northward to Cape Cod including Southern portions of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large, destructive and life-threatening waves.
Updates,NASA
Winds, waves and water are the three threatening factors in a hurricane, and Irene has all three.
