The National Hurricane Center explains how they'll use the lessons learned in storm surge, flooding and more from Hurricane Matthew, during this year’s hurricane season.
Storm Surge
Reading the Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew
Reading the Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew
October 20, 2016
Hurricane Matthew may not have been the strongest storm to ever hit the Atlantic, but it ranks among the most destructive. Recent estimates from major banks total almost $10 billion dollars in damage and lost revenue from Miami to Virginia.
If Hurricane Hazel Hit Today...
While the debate rages on about the cause of sea level rise and if human activity is speeding up the process, the phenomena itself is not a new coastal hazard. Scientists have plenty of evidence that ocean levels rise and fall several times over thousands of years. Scientists have pretty strong evidence the seas are rising again. What makes sea level change so significant now is that there are many more of us living near the coast. And, as the report by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission's Science Panel says, “over time it exacerbates existing coastal hazards.”
Components of Storm Surge
What is Storm Surge?
A combination of wind driven water and pressure driven water piles up water ahead of the eye of the storm.
Related Resources:
Surging Water Warnings
Storm surge is not a giant wave like a tsunami, but it is the gradual piling up of water along the coast. It is often the most damaging effect of a hurricane, but is not often clearly understood and it is not easy to predict. New research, and a new computer program developed by the UNC Institute of Marine Science, is helping solve the problem.
Predicting Storms
One of the reasons I decided to become a reporter was because I liked to ask questions. Not the confrontational, prosecutor style, “Are you guilty of…?” type of questions. Believe me, I’ve asked those types of questions when needed. But I prefer the, “So how does this work?” or “What does this do?” type of question. I’ve always been a curious person.
Week in Review: The Scientific Lens
UNC-TV Science Week in Review: June 13, 2013
The Scientific Lens