How do storm surges work and why are they so devastating?
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There are two things that contribute to storm surges. One is the low pressure of the storms. The air pressure can be as much as 10% below normal near the center of the storm. That’s like putting an extra metric ton of weight on every square meter of water surrounding the storm that isn’t at the center, so the water in the center rises.
The second really big contributor is the way the winds spin around the storm. As the storm makes landfall there’s one side has wind going offshore and one side has it coming onshore. Wind can push water a lot, piling wave on wave, and driving it up and over the land.
What can make the so devastating is that water is heaving, and when waves of it start hitting buildings, the force is very, very high. It takes a specially constructed building to withstand it, and even then, it might have its footings washed out from under it.
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