What is Storm Surge?

Storm surge can be defined as the abnormal rise in water level caused by wind and pressure forces of a hurricane. It can be extremely devestating, and is in fact a major cause of damage from hurricanes. The storm surge itself is caused by the wind and pressure "pushing" the water into the continental shelf and onto the coastline. The height of a surge is basically measured as a deviation from the mean sea level in the area, and in some historical storms, this value has reached over 20 feet.

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Historical Storms

This is a list of some historical storms and the maximum storm tide and wind values which occured during the storm.