What was sandys storm surge

Add in the prospect of more intense hurricanes and the risk of that level of storm surge could be as high once every 23 years, raising the spectre of a Sandy-level storm every generation. The surge heights of the current year storm will also increase dramatically. Factoring in both more intense storms and sea level rise, the study suggests that storm surge could reach higher than 14 feet alone, equalling the total storm tide of Sandy.

The results come with a caveat. Researchers used a middle of the road climate scenario where nations start to rein in carbon pollution. So the results are a carrot or perhaps a stick to get the world to move quickly to cut it carbon pollution.

Otherwise sea levels could rise much higher, increasing the risk of storm surge even more. New York is hardly the only place that will be forced to reckon with sea level rise and the attendant risks of storm surge flooding. Lin said the techniques used in this study could be easily replicated in those areas or anywhere along the Eastern Seaboard.

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As of noon ET, the central estimate for The Battery was slightly more than 6 feet above the Mean High Water level mean high tide , which would top the storm surge from Hurricane Irene by more than a foot. In Bridgeport, Conn. In Philadelphia, the surge may peak at 1 foot, but the tide could reach more than 2 feet above average.

In Atlantic City, the surge may peak at 5. And so on. Winds account for about 85 percent of the height of the average surge, and the tremendous wind field surrounding Hurricane Sandy is maximizing that component of storm surge. Global sea level is now about 8 inches higher, on average, than it was in , in connection with global warming. Sinking land has added several inches more of local sea level rise in the Mid-Atlantic. That means the storm tides from Sandy are that much higher than they would have been if the identical storm had come along back then.

And as sea level continues to rise in a warming world, a Sandy that arrives in , when average sea level is likely to be about 3 feet higher than it is today, would be correspondingly more destructive. Storm surge is a great concern with Henri, but the high water is expected to be about 6 feet above normal.

The wall of water than engulfed shoreline communities in was largely responsible for the 49 deaths in New York and 10 in New Jersey that contributed to making Sandy the deadliest storm to hit the East Coast since since Millions were left without power for days after Sandy, which hit on Oct. PSGE Long Island has warned that some residents may face a similar fate and have to wait a week or more for power to be restored if Henri causes significant damage. August 21, pm Updated August 21, pm.

A satellite image of Hurricane Henri heading up the east coast on August 21, Matthew McDermott for NY Post Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak in the Caribbean — with steady winds up to mph — but had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone by the time it reached the New York metro area.