Skip to content
main content
Guide to Geologic Hazards in Alaska
- Geohazard Types
- Glossary
- Storm surge
- An abnormal, sudden rise of sea level along an open coast during a storm, caused primarily by strong winds offshore, or less frequently by a drop in atmospheric pressure, resulting in water piled up against the coast. It is most severe when accompanied by high tide. Syn: surge [waves], hurricane surge, storm wave.
(Neuendorf, K.K.E. and others, 2005)