June 1, 2004

Q: What is storm surge and how is it different from tidal surge?

A: Storm surge is the onshore rush of sea or lake water caused by the high winds associated with a landfalling cyclone and secondarily by the low pressure of the storm.

Tidal surge is often misused to describe storm surge, but storm surge is independent of the usual tidal ebb and flo. In some inlets, such as the Bay of Fundy, rapid changes in sea level due to the tides will cause a tidal bore or surge to move into or out of the inlet. This surge occurs independent of the present weather.