Hurricane Ian is expected to produce catastrophic storm surges as it on Wednesday, with forecasters predicting the sea inundating land up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) above sea level in some areas.
Traffic lights wave by strong gust of wind ahead of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Belloon Wednesday, with forecasters predicting the sea inundating land up to 18 feet above sea level in some areas.Here's why that is and how they form.As a hurricane approaches a coast, the churning winds force ocean water up onto land; atmospheric pressure from the storm also helps squeeze the water ashore.
Water is heavy: about 1,700 pounds per cubic yard. And it can move fast in a surge, sweeping people to their deaths, throwing about boats and vehicles and pulverizing structures. Six inches of fast-moving water is enough to knock over an adult,A powerful storm surge can cause long-term damage by sweeping away roads, eroding beaches and contaminating land with salt water, harming wildlife and agriculture.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused storm surges of over 25 feet in New Orleans. The NHC says many of the 1,500 people killed lost their lives, directly or indirectly, to the storm surges.The National Hurricane Center is forecasting storm surges of at least a foot or so along , but said the 50-mile stretch between Englewood and Bonita Beach will face the worst of it, with a current forecast of surges between 12 and 18 feet above normal sea level.
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