Of all the hazards that hurricanes bring, storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property along the coast. It can sweep homes off their foundations, flood riverside communities miles inland, and break up dunes and levees that normally protect coastal areas against storms.
As a hurricane reaches the coast, it pushes a huge volume of ocean water ashore. This is what we call storm surge.
This surge appears as a gradual rise in the water level as the storm approaches. Depending on the size and track of the hurricane, storm surge flooding can last for several hours. It then recedes after the storm passes.
Water level heights during a hurricane can reach 20 feet or more above normal sea level. With powerful waves on top of it, a hurricane’s storm surge can cause catastrophic damage.
What determines how high storm surge gets?
Storm surge begins over the open ocean. The strong winds of a hurricane push the ocean waters around and cause water to pile up under the storm. The low air pressure of the storm also plays a small role in lifting the water level. The height and extent of this pile of water depend on the strength and size of the hurricane.
As this pile of water moves toward the coast, other factors can change its height and extent.
If a coastal area has a sea floor that gently slopes away from the coastline, it’s more likely to see a higher storm surge than an area with a steeper drop-off. Gentle slopes along the Louisiana and Texas coasts have contributed to some devastating storm surges. Hurricane Katrina’s surge in 2005 broke levees and flooded New Orleans. Hurricane Ike’s 15- to 17-foot storm surge and waves swept hundreds of homes off Texas’ Bolivar Peninsula in 2008. Both were large, powerful storms that hit in vulnerable locations.
The shape of the coastline can also shape the surge. When storm surge enters a bay or river, the geography of the land can act as a funnel, sending the water even higher.
Other factors that shape storm surge
Ocean tides – caused by the gravity of the moon and sun – can also strengthen or weaken the impact of storm surge. So, it’s important to know the timing of the local tides compared to the hurricane landfall.
At high tide, the water is already at an elevated height. If landfall happens at high tide, the storm surge will cause even higher water levels and bring more water further inland. The Carolinas saw those effects when Hurricane Isaias hit at close to high tide on Aug. 3, 2020. Isaias brought a storm surge of about 4 feet at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but the water level was more than 10 feet above normal.
How storm surge and high tide add up to coastal flooding.(The COMET Program/UCAR and National Weather Service)
Sea level rise is another growing concern that influences storm surge.
As water warms, it expands, and that has slowly raised sea level over the past century as global temperatures have risen. Freshwater from melting of ice sheets and glaciers also adds to sea level rise. Together, they elevate the background ocean height. When a hurricane arrives, the higher ocean means storm surge can bring water further inland, to a more dangerous and widespread effect.
。 记者宋瑶 见习记者于歆8月21日，首家山姆会员店将在石家庄正式开门迎客。
B | 过去近一年间，盒马鲜生、京东七鲜、小象超市等新业态零售模式相继落地石家庄，传统卖场北国超市多家门店调改焕新，永辉超市学习胖东来模式完成升级，从“卖商品”转向“享服务”。自2025年6月石家庄市入选首批全国零售业创新提升试点城市后，新超市、老牌店，究竟给石家庄人的日常消费带来了哪些变化？记者进行了走访调查。吕女士在勒泰中心附近上班，石家庄盒马鲜生开业那天她进去逛了一圈，从此就离不开了。海鲜现挑现做，回家就能吃，免洗免切的净菜拎回家直接下锅，小份果切打开就吃，节省了吕女士为家人准备美食的时间，方便又省心。除了盒马鲜生，吕女士的手机里还安装着京东七鲜、山姆会员商店的App：下班前在京东七鲜下单些蔬菜、自有品牌的零食，进家门前送达；周末在山姆囤些瑞士卷、鲜牛奶、冷冻黑虎虾，大包装塞满冰箱。
C | 顾客在盒马鲜生“日日鲜快手菜”货架前挑选商品。
D | 赵阳/摄盒马提供的数据显示，石家庄门店35岁以下消费者占比超65%，线上订单占比接近七成。“石家庄年轻消费者更追求新鲜、便捷和趣味性。”盒马鲜生勒泰中心店副店长侯玉壮说，日日鲜三文鱼、现场制售海鲜、鲜切牛肉是他们的最爱。京东七鲜相关负责人则透露，二环内配送网络已基本实现全覆盖，3公里范围内最快30分钟送达。山姆虽未正式开业，但此前上线的极速达服务已覆盖主城四区，订单密度超出预期。顾客在京东七鲜超市自助收银机前排队结账。赵阳/摄陈先生家在北国超市光华店附近，在这里购物了十多年，他明显感觉到超市在变。主通道从以前勉强错身拓宽到2米多，两辆购物车并行没问题，生鲜区从不到三分之一扩到近一半，海鲜池旁边多了代加工窗口。
E | 2025年，包括光华店、北国店在内的多家北国超市进行了焕新升级，从头顶的灯光到货架陈列、动线区域设置都进行了人性化改变，提升消费体验。同时期，永辉超市积极学习胖东来模式，商品结构接近胖东来商品结果的80%。传统卖场积极从“卖产品”向卖“生活方式”转变，一位业内人士坦言：“不改不行。新品牌在抢人，而且抢的是年轻人。”零售模式的丰富让消费者有了更多的选择，但消费观念也更理性。裕华区的刘女士通过山姆线上渠道下了三单之后，算了一笔细账：瑞士卷一盒59.8元，单价虽比烘焙店便宜，但一大盒塞满冰箱，一家三口吃了五天，最后两块还是吃不动了。
F | 她后来改变了策略：只买牛奶、鸡蛋、冷冻海鲜这些消耗快的商品，蛋糕点心还是去烘焙店买新鲜的。像刘女士这样在“大包装的性价比”和“小家庭的消耗力”之间找平衡的消费者不在少数，不少年轻家庭更习惯“随吃随买”。
G | 沃尔玛中国公司事务区域总经理解振兴表示，大包装商品的设计初衷就是主打家庭囤货场景，能够有效减少采购频次、降低单次消费成本，线上极速达搭配独立小份分装，兼顾了不同家庭的多元需求。消费者最终还是得算自己的账——商家提供选项，选择权始终在消费者手里。
H | 盒马发布的“盒区房指数”显示，石家庄高达171，远超全国均值100。
I | 侯玉壮介绍，盒马在石家庄的业绩在华北区域名列前茅，表明当地消费购买力强、消费频次高、消费活力旺盛。山姆也将辐射范围锁定在石家庄周边，解振兴明确表示，邯郸、邢台乃至郑州、太原的居民都是潜在客群。
