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Contributed by Neal Dorst

Storm surge is the onshore rush of sea or lake water caused by the high winds associated with a landfalling cyclone and secondarily by the low pressure of the storm.

Tidal surge is often mis-used to describe storm surge, but storm surge is independent of the usual tidal ebb and flow. In some inlets, such as the Bay of Fundy, rapid changes in sea level due to the tides will cause a tidal bore or surge to move in to or out of the inlet. This surge occurs independent of the present weather.