Experimental system seeks to enhance information about threat of cyclone-related storm surge

Plans are under way at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) south of the border to employ an experimental storm surge watch/warning graphic as of the beginning of the 2015 hurricane season.

The experimental watch/warning graphic – the concept of which is to be specific to the storm surge hazard – will be used to highlight those areas along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States that have a significant risk of life-threatening inundation by storm surge from a tropical cyclone, notes an advisory on NHC’s website Thursday.

The graphic will be experimental for at least two years, during which time comments from users will be solicited and considered, the advisory states.

Only the graphic itself will be available during the experimental period; the underlying raw data, including shapefiles, will not be disseminated.

“Storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a tropical cyclone, and it can occur at different times and at different locations from a storm’s hazardous winds,” the advisory notes.

While remaining in homes can keep most coastal residents safe from a tropical cyclone’s winds, “evacuations are generally needed to keep people safe from storm surge. Having separate warnings for these two hazards should provide emergency managers, the media and the general public better guidance on the hazards they face when tropical cyclones threaten.”

As part of a phased implementation, the advisory notes that NHC plans to consolidate the dissemination of wind and surge watches and warnings in 2016. After incorporating both user and partner input, the new storm surge warning system is expected to become fully operational in 2017.