Good Evening From Meteorologist Tony Petrarca

Storm surge deals with a “surge ” of  abnormally high water from the open ocean, which moves onshore…its the amount of water rise above what the daily normal high tide is … The height of the storm surge can vary from a few feet, to a staggering 15-18 ft. That kind of a surge is usually reserved for a major hurricane. The forecast storm surge for Sandy is 4-7 ft…however that does not include waves…large breaking waves on top of the 4-7 foot surge will create what we consider moderate to major coastal flooding along the coast on Monday

Storm surge height is determined by a number of things, including the strength of the storm, the tide cycle, wind direction and speed, the forward movement of the storm as well as the geography of the coastline. Stay tuned for updates.