Storm surge

A storm surge reflects the difference between the actual water level under the influence of a meteorological disturbance (storm tide) and the level which would have occurred in the absence of the meteorological disturbance (WMO, 2008, 2011, 2017).

A storm surge is the rise in seawater level caused solely by a storm. It is the abnormal rise in seawater level during a strom, measures as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by a storm's winds pushing water onshore.

Storm surge should not be confused with storm tide. A storm tide is the water level that results from the combination of the storm surge and the normal (astronomical tide).

This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas, resulting from storm tides reaching up to 6 meters (20 feet) or more in some cases (NOAA, 2019b.) On top of a strom tide are pounding waves generated by the powerful winds. The area of seawater flooding may extend along the coast for over 100 km, with water pushing several kilometres inland if the land is low lying. The combined effects of the storm tide and surface waves can destroy buildings, wash away roads and run ships aground (Australian Government, 2020).

Examples of National Alerting Parameters include storm surge warning issued in Canada (Government of Canada, 2019) and an Advisory for storm surge watch/warning issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO, 2017).

Different symbols of hazards and disasters.

See all hazards

Latest Storm surge additions in the Knowledge Base

Documents and publications

25 September 2023

Global projections of storm surges using high-resolution CMIP6 Climate Models

Due to rising sea levels and changes in storms, floods from the sea are expected to become more frequent in the coming decades. How the probability of a storm surge will change as a result of climate change has been studied by an international team

Research briefs

28 August 2023

Stevens researchers take aim at weather forecasters’ biggest blind spot

More accurate ‘nowcasting’ algorithms are needed to support community responses to sudden storms, floods, and other emergencies effectively.

Stevens Institute of Technology

Research briefs

22 August 2023

Study finds massive loss of U.S. coastline tidal flats over 31 years

Results of a study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, reveal how human activities, rather than natural factors, have impacted tidal flat environments in the contiguous U.S.

Florida Center for Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University

Update

24 August 2023

Bushfires focus public attention on climate change for months, but it’s different for storms and floods

Just this year, heatwaves blasted southern Europe, the United States and China; wildfires lit up Greece, Canada and Maui in Hawaii; and winter storms froze large parts of the US.

Conversation Media Group, the

UN resolutions and reports

22 August 2023

Combating sand and dust storms - Report of the Secretary-General (A/78/237)

A/78/237

The present report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 77/171 on combating sand and dust storms, provides details on developments within the United Nations system and covers the period from mid-2022 to mid-2023.

Update

3 August 2023

NASA SPoRT’s lightning prediction tool provides critical weather forecasting support at Rock the South

On Friday, July 21st, 2023, over 35,000 people were denied entry to Rock the South’s outdoor country music festival in Cullman, Alabama at 3 P.M. due to the threat of lightning in the area.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Update

5 August 2023

Storm Antoni: why naming storms is a risky business

Since 2015, the UK’s Met Office has used forenames to label storms, as a strategy for improving people’s awareness of severe weather warnings.

Conversation Media Group, the

View from dune top over sunset in North Sea from the island of Ameland, Friesland, Netherlands

Update

28 July 2023

Plants build dunes but can speed erosion during severe storms

When waves hit vegetated dunes, waterlogged areas form in front of plants, making for sand that’s easier to wash away. But you still need plants to form dunes in the first place.

Eos - AGU