Why Does a Storm Surge Flood a Coast?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Welcome aboard, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why does a storm surge flood a coast?

The Big Idea

A storm surge is seawater pushed onto land by a storm's strong winds and low air pressure. It isn't just rain! The wind shoves a hill of ocean toward the coast. That can flood streets that are usually dry.

Step 1

Step one: wind pushes water. A powerful storm's winds blow across the sea and push water toward the shore. Low air pressure helps the sea rise a bit too.

Step 2

Step two: the sea piles up on the shelf. Near the coast, the sea floor gets shallower, a shelf that squeezes the pile of water higher.

Step 3

Step three: the tide adds height. If the surge arrives at high tide, it's taller still. Then streets become a temporary sea!

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at a storm surge! The wind arrows show the storm pushing toward the shore. The piled water is the hill of ocean that builds up. And the flooded street is where the sea reaches land.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! A surge can arrive even before the heaviest rain. Surge is often the most dangerous part of a hurricane, so grown-ups follow evacuation orders. If told to evacuate, a family should leave the shore and follow evacuation maps. A river flood comes from rain, but a surge comes from the sea.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Why is a surge different from river flooding? What two extras make the pile taller? With a grown-up, check whether your area has an evacuation map.

Outro

A surge is the ocean visiting streets it does not belong on. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!