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Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall Across the South; Heat Spreads Across the West and Southern Plains

A couple of frontal boundaries will move east and south from the Plains to the Gulf and Atlantic coastlines. These boundaries will focus showers and thunderstorms through the weekend, with scattered severe thunderstorms from the Southern Plains and across the Gulf Coast states. Locally heavy rainfall may also occur, which may be welcome news across drought areas. Meanwhile, heat spreads westward. Read More >

                Understanding Coastal Flooding and Storm Surge

 

What is coastal flooding/storm surge? 

  • Storm Surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tide. 

  • Storm Tide is the water level produced during a storm due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide. 

  • Astronomical Tide-The twice daily alternating rise and fall of sea level produced by gravitational attraction of the moon and sun. 

  • Inundation is water covering normally dry land. 

Total Water level = Storm surge + Tides + Wave runup/setup + Freshwater Flow

 


 

Factors Affecting Storm Surge: 

  • Central Pressure

  • Intensity (wind speed)

  • Forward speed

  • Size (Radius of Maximum Winds)

  • Angle of Approach

  • Width and Slope of Shelf

  • Local features- concavity of coastlines, bays, rivers, headlands or islands

 

 

Hurricane Storm Surge

NHC Introduction to Storm Surge

 

 

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