Local Surge Impacts Information
While the National Hurricane Center public advisory statements provide tropical cyclone related
impacts on a regional scale, the local WFOs coordinate closely with the NHC to
provide refined forecast products and warnings on a local level. Two of these
products are the Hurricane Local Statement (HLS) and graphical HLS.
The HLS is a valuable product that can be used as a tool to monitor
several different threats (not just surge) and potential impacts to your
area. It includes:
- Counties, parishes, or cities affected
- Watches and/or warnings in effect
- Recommended precautionary actions
- Storm surge and storm tide information
- Present winds and the expected time of onset of tropical storm or hurricane-force winds
- Tornado, flood, flash flood, rip current, beach erosion, and inland high wind potential
Below is an example of the storm surge portion of an Hurricane Local Statement:
...STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE...
TIDE LEVELS REPORTED BETWEEN 330 AND 400 PM SATURDAY:
HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL/MANCHESTER - 10.4 FEET
EAGLE POINT - 7.7 FEET
PIER 21 - 5.8 FEET
PLEASURE PIER - 5.2 FEET
FREEPORT - 2.7 FEET
STORM SURGE FLOODING PERSISTS ALONG THE SHORE OF GALVESTON BAY
AND ON THE BOLIVAR PENINSULA. THIS INCLUDES NEIGHBORHOODS NEAR
THE SHORE OF CLEAR LAKE...AND THE COMMUNITIES OF SMITH POINT...LA
PORTE...SEABROOK...KEMAH...BACLIFF...SAN LEON...AND SURROUNDING
AREAS. TIDE LEVELS RANGE FROM 7 TO 11 FEET IN THESE AREAS. BOLIVAR
PENINSULA IS COVERED WITH WATER. RAINFALL-INDUCED FLOODING OVER
THE LAND AND IN CREEKS AND BAYOUS MUST DRAIN OUT INTO GALVESTON
BAY WHICH WILL KEEP WATER LEVELS ON THE BAY ABOVE NORMAL FOR AN
EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. TIDE LEVELS WILL ONLY SLOWLY SUBSIDE IN
THESE AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT...AND WILL NOT RECOVER TO NEAR
NORMAL LEVELS UNTIL SUNDAY MORNING.
Visit your local National Weather Service office website for more information about
local surge impacts under the Hurricane Local Statements (HLS)
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The State emergency management offices work closely with the NHC in assessing evacuations with
respect to coastal storm surge vulnerability. The NHC updates SLOSH basins
creating the MOMs and MEOWs which are ultimately used by EMs to drive the
nation's evaculation zones.
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