Storm surge

A storm surge is an onshore rush of water associated with tropical cyclones. Storm surge is caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea level. Low pressure at the center of a tropical cyclone has a small secondary effect.

Storm surges are particularly damaging when they occur at the time of a high tide, and this makes the prediction problem challenging since it requires weather forecasts to be accurate to within a few hours.

The highest storm surge ever recorded was produced by the 1899 Bathurst Bay Hurricane, which caused a 13 m (43 feet) storm surge at Bathurst Bay, Australia. In the US, the greatest recorded storm surge was generated by Hurricane Camille, which produced a storm surge in excess of 25 feet (7.6 m).