what is storm surge, as it relates to a hurricane?
In: Planetary Science
The wind of the storm pushes water ahead of it as it moves. This “surge” of water pushed by the wind can be quite substantial.
Imagine taking a broom and pushing water on a concrete patio, you can get quite a crest going. Now make the broom a billion times bigger and imagine God is pushing it.
In a hurricane the wind direction moves roughly the same direction (counterclockwise in northern hemisphere)… Out at sea, the wind pushes water ahead of the storm. When it hits shore, the water level can be much higher than normal sea level, plus the wind is pushing it further inland.
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