What is the Hurricane Surge?
Hurricane or storm surge is an oceanographic phenomenon of water level fluctuations caused by the atmospheric pressure field and wind stress on the water surface, accompanying the moving hurricane or storm systems. Specific factors which can combine to produce extreme water fluctuations at a coast during the passage of a storm or a hurricane include: storm intensity, size, path, and duration over water; atmospheric pressure variation; speed of translation; winds and rainfall; bathymetry of the offshore region; astronomical tides; initial water level rise; surface waves and associated wave setup and runup. Hurricane Surge constitutes a greater hazard to lives and coastal property than hurricane winds. Hurricane surges have been estimated to account for 75 to 90 percent of all deaths resulting from a hurricane. Surge inundation is also responsible for extensive damage to coastal property. Since 1900, hurricane damages to coastal property have averaged more than $50 million per year. The
