Hurricane Storm Surge
Hurricane Storm Surge
Uses the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model developed by the NWS
Determines areas prone to flooding
Automates the selection of the appropriate storm surge basin and MEOW (maximum envelope of water)
Automatically subtracts the terrain height from the height of water above mean sea level
Damage to property is determined as a function of height of water
Hurricane storm surge is the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. Storm surges can occur in association with tropical storms in the summer and fall, or with large, intense extratropical storms which can affect large areas of the coast. The destruction caused by this phenomenon can be significant. More importantly, storm surges are most responsible for loss of life during hurricanes. Nine out of ten people whose lives are lost in hurricanes are killed as a result of rising waters and pounding waves. Areas that may potentially be affected by the storm surge must be evacuated well before routes of retreat are cut off by rising waters.
Hurricane Fran was a category 3 storm that made landfall near Wilmington, NC. The CATS surge model predicted light, moderate, and severe damage to mobile homes based upon the height of water above mean sea level and terrain elevation data. Click on the image to see it in full-screen view.
