By Brian Mudd
The National Hurricane Center’s Updated Storm Surge Forecasting
Bottom Line: As I frequently discuss when we’re posed with the threat of a potential tropical storm or hurricane.the top wind speed is the sensational number that gains most of the attention but it’s water that does most of the damage. Historically,90% of all death and destruction from tropical storms and hurricanes is due to water through a combination of rainfall and storm surge. Specific to those of us in South Florida, storm surge and flooding is also the prominent reason for mandatory evacuations to be issued in coastal communities. Having better information for predicting storm surge not only could lead to safer behavior, but it could also lead to more informed evacuation orders being issued. For anyone who’s participated in a mandatory evacuation order but later regretted it, that could be huge. Also, one of my biggest concerns is the “boy who cried wolf effect”. If you e
By Brian Mudd
Jun 2, 2021
The top wind speed is the sensational number that gains most of the attention but water is what does most of the damage. Historically, 90% of all death and destruction from tropical storms and hurricanes is due to water through a combination of rainfall and storm surge. Specific to those of us in South Florida, storm surge and flooding is also the prominent reason for mandatory evacuations in coastal communities. Having better information for predicting storm surge not only leads to safer behavior but also leads to more informed evacuation orders being issued.
The news that the National Hurricane Center has improved its storm surge tracker is welcomed. But what’s