What is Storm Surge? Fast Draw Video

The Atlantic hurricane season begins in a few days on June 1st. Although, we've already had our first named storm, Ana, here is a cool video released by the National Hurricane Center on what Storm Surge is. 

This video is called "fast draw", it's a type of video that explains a topic or issue (in this case storm surge) by showing an illustrator drawing it. They speed up the video to make it flow better. The effect is pretty cool!  This video also goes well with my storm surge article on Hubpages. 

Storm surge is an important event to understand and expect when a storm is approaching the coastline! Although, storms may be measured by their pressure and winds, it is usually the water that does the most damage and takes the most amount of lives! 

Blue Skies Above: Hurricane Sandy Cause Storm Surge in Ft Lauderdale! (Video)

Believe it or not, but this video is actually a result of Hurricane Sandy! Yes, the storm was so massive, and such a monster, that it sent storm surge all the way down the east coast to Ft. Lauderdale Beach in Florida.  On the morning of October 28, 2012, Hurricane Sandy was about to take her left hand turn into the coast of New Jersey, but it sent swells out in all direction, impacting people and beaches far and wide!  

These swells, combined with an astronomical high tide, sent the ocean crashing over the dunes and right into the stress of Ft Lauderdale Beach. Pretty impressive considering the storm was close to 1,000 miles to the northeast! Sunrise Blvd was inundated with water, shocking many considering the skies were crystal blue and the weather was beautiful.

It truly is remarkable to see the strength and power of these storms!

Storm Surge Hits ChiTown!

It's not often that you see storm surge in a Major city, although if sea levels continue to rise it may become all too familiar. Older infrastructure built in low-lying areas out of connivence are now being threatened by ever rising water levels and increased erosion. However, the video above is not a ocean front shore but a lake front! Lake Michigan to be exact and the highway running along side the rising surf is the infamous Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

You may think that just because Chicago is on a lake, they can't experience storm surge, but you would be wrong. Lake Michigan is so large that strong winds and storms can easily pile the water up on one side of the lake.

This video from September 30, 2011 shows that even in a major city on a lake, the power of water can be dangerous! Lake Michigan never makes it to Lake Shore Drive but it engulfs the park area next to the highway used for walking, running and biking. Like most storm surges, the unsuspecting waves catch a few pedestrians and cyclist off guard. Some even almost get washed away.

Crazy Waves in Ocean City, MD from Sandy

Just found this video of giant waves in Ocean City, MD last Monday October 29, 2012 as Hurricane Sandy passed by.  Lucky enough Ocean City, MD wasn't has devastated as the Jersey Shore. 

 

 

More Hurricane Sandy Damage

Below are photos from the CT shore where storm surge carried a shed into a 3 way intersection (2nd photo). The first and third pictures show water still flooding streets from the earlier storm surge!

Hurricane Sandy Point Beach

These photos were taken at Point Beach in Milford, CT where just 14 months to the day earlier was hit hard by Tropical Storm Irene. The damage and storm surge flooding was very similar to Irene. These photos were taken the morning after Sandy at low tide. Notice the boarded up homes along the coast and the electronics sitting on rocks next to the water!

Hurricane Sandy Photos!

These two photos were taken after the storm passed through at low tide! The street is covered in rocks from the normally calm Long Island Sound, the waves are still rough even after the storm passes, as you can see in the second photo!

Ocean City, MD beach cams 10/29/12

Here are some screenshots of the Ocean City, Maryland beach and Boardwalk webcams. So far flooding has been bad, the ocean has reached the boardwalk in many areas and there are reports that the Ocean City fishing pier has partially fallen into the ocean, and probably won't make it through the storm!

Hurricane Sandy: Boarding up

Some people are taking precautions, especially along the water, where they are boarding up windows!

Hurricane Sandy: Evacuate along the shore!

New estimates call for a storm surge of 8-10 feet in Long Island Sound! This would be twice as bad as Tropical Storm Irene, which did horrible damage! I highly recommend anyone who lives on the water should evacuate, this storm surge could be the worst in decades!!!

Hurricane Gloria 27th Anniversary

Thursday September 27, 2012 was the 27th anniversary of Hurricane Gloria making landfall in Long Island and Connecticut.  The storm is the last Hurricane to make landfall in Connecticut.  Although Tropical Storm Irene came pretty close last year (2011). In the  link below I made a slide show for a local weather site comparing the photos I took during Tropical storm Irene to those that my dad took (I wasn't alive in 1985 when Hurricane Gloria hit!).  Both set of pictures were awfully similar even though Gloria was much stronger than Tropical Storm Irene.  What made them so similar in destruction was simple...timing!  Hurricane Gloria hit during low tide and moved through within hours, where as Irene hit right at astronomical high tide, bringing with it an impressive storm surge! 

Check out the link:   Side by Side Photo Comparison: Hurricane Gloria vs. Tropical Storm Irene

One Year Anniversary of Hurricane Irene!

Check out the following links for photos from Hurricane Irene's landfall a year ago today August 28, 2011.  All the photos were taken by me in Milford, CT! 

Latest link is my contribution to WxEdge.com a social weather site about Connecticut weather. 

Irene Pummels the Coastline: Milford, CT 8/28/11 

 

 

The next few links are photos I placed on the website Hubpages.com on August 28, 2011 because i was lucky enough not to lose power!!!

 

 

Hurricane Irene Slams the Connecticut Coast! Photos!

 

Hurricane Irene Slams Connecticut More Photos!

 

More Photos of Hurricane Irene in Milford, CT

 

Devestation along the Connecticut Coast- More of Hurricane Irene's Impacts through Photos

 

and finally a comparison to the last storm to hit the same area:

 

Hurricane Irene vs Hurricane Gloria: a Photo Comparison

 

Water Rising: What is Storm Surge?

Finally got around to writing another weather releated hub on the writing site Hubpages.  This time it's about Storm Surge and features a number of photographs I took during Hurricane Irene.  The storm surge was impressive along the Connecticut shore line!  This hub is also my first entry into this month's Hubpages contest!   So learn more about storm surge or check out the cool pics, either way enjoy! 

Water Rising: What is Storm Surge?