Where does the storm surge data come from and what does it mean?
The storm surge zones data used in this application were generated using the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model. SLOSH is a computerized model run by the National Weather Service to estimate storm surge heights resulting from historical, hypothetical, or predicted hurricanes. The model creates its estimates by assessing the pressure, size, forward speed, track, and wind data from a storm. Graphical output from the model displays color-coded storm surge heights for a particular area. The calculations are applied to a specific locale’s shoreline, incorporating the unique bay and river configurations, water depths, bridges, roads, and other physical features. It is important to note that storm surge maps reflect the worst case hurricane storm surge inundation (including astronomical high tide), regardless of the point of where the center of the hurricane (or tropical storm) makes landfall. No single hurricane will necessarily cause all of the flooding represented
