Storm Surges

What is Storm Surge?

Storm surge is the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured 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. The amplitude of the storm surge at any given location depends on the orientation of the coast line with the storm track; the intensity, size, and speed of the storm; and the local bathymetry.

Storm tide is the total observed seawater level during a storm, resulting from the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide. Astronomical tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon and have their greatest effects on seawater level during new and full moons—when the sun, the moon, and the Earth are in alignment. As a result, the highest storm tides are often observed during storms that coincide with a new or full moon.

Datasets

Tropical cyclone datasets

Dataset	Description	Map viewer link	Data access link
HURDAT	A database for tropical cyclone historical data released by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). It is a detailed post-storm analysis of each tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin and the North Pacific Ocean. It includes six-hourly updates on various aspects such as location (latitude, longitude), maximum winds, and central pressure of all known tropical and subtropical cyclones, Since 2004, the database also includes data on the size of these cyclones. This database is regularly updated as new analyses are reviewed. Other NHC data archive can be found here.		Access
HURSAT	Tropical Cyclone-centric satellite data		Access
IBTrACS	International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) project is the most complete global collection of tropical cyclones available. It merges recent and historical tropical cyclone data from multiple agencies to create a unified, publicly available, best-track dataset that improves inter-agency comparisons.	View	Access
NHC Active tropical cyclones	Real-time monitoring of currently active cyclones	View
NHC Forecast	Forecast of rainfall and wind speed of currently active cyclones	Rainfall, Wind speed
d4PDF	Database for Policy Decision Making for future climate change. A large ensemble of climate simulations at 60-km resolution and dynamically downscaled to 20 km. It is designed for climate change risk assessments in various research areas such as natural hazard, hydrology, civil engineering, agriculture, health, and insurance.		Access
HighResMIP	The High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) was an endorsed project under CMIP6, featuring simulations at higher resolutions than typical CMIP6 experiments. It spans the period from 1950 to 2050, with additional targeted experiments. Tropical storm tracks are calculated, which can be used to study changes in tropical cyclones under future global warming conditions.		Access

The Global Peak Storm Surge Map is a comprehensive resource that documents the location and magnitude of storm surges worldwide since 1880. Storm surges are a significant coastal hazard associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons, which can lead to severe flooding and are a risk for coastal communities. As of February 2015, the dataset comprises over 700 recorded storm surge events.

Storm Surge Data by Region

This dataset categorizes storm surges by the ocean basin in which they occurred, providing insights into regional patterns of this coastal climate risk.

Recorded Storm Surges as of February 2015

The following table summarizes the number of storm surge events recorded in each region:

Region	Number of Storm Surges
Australia, New Zealand, Oceania	134
East Asia	119
Northern Indian Ocean	58
Southern Indian Ocean (Madagascar)	1
Western North Atlantic	388
Western North Atlantic (Non-US)	36
Eastern North Pacific (Hawaii, Mexico)	2
Total Surge Events	702

Dataset Access

The Global Peak Storm Surge Map dataset provides a historical record crucial for research into past storm events and for planning future coastal defenses. For full access to the dataset, please refer to the Global Peak Storm Surge Database.

storm-tide monitoring: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/storm-tide-monitoring#overview

National Hurricane centerhas a lot of useful information regarding the current hurricanes, including forecast of rainfall, storm surge forecast associated with the hurricane

• storm events database by NOAA: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/
• severe weather data inventory by NOAA https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/severe-weather-data-inventory view https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/swdi/
• usgs total water level and coastal change forecast viewer: https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/research/twlviewer/
• sea-level rise viewer

Ocean data

• Daily OISST by NCEI: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/optimum-interpolation-sst
• NOAA digital coast: https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/flood-exposure.html