U.S. Storm Surge Records

The highest documented storm surge in the U.S. occurred in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, when Pass Christian, MS, recorded a 27.8 foot storm surge above mean sea level. The highest High Water Mark on record for a U.S. hurricane occurred in Biloxi, MS during Katrina, where a High Water Mark of 34.1 feet above mean sea level was recorded on the outside of the Beau Rivage Lighthouse (Figure 1). The surge was 22 feet high in Biloxi, so the combination of the tide (about 1 foot) and 11-foot waves on top of the storm surge created the 34.1-foot high water mark.

Figure 1. A survey team found a damage trimline on the exterior of the Beau Rivage Lighthouse in Biloxi, Mississippi, at an elevation of 34.1 feet above mean sea level. This represents the highest High Water Mark ever recorded for an Atlantic Hurricane. Image credit: Hermann Fritz, Georgia Tech University.

The highest theoretical storm surge produced by NOAA's SLOSH model for the U.S. is 38.5 feet above mean sea level, for a Category 4 hurricane hitting New Bedford, Massachussets. New Bedford lies near the end of a narrow bay, and narrow bays and river estuaries can act as funnels that focus the storm surge to extreme heights if the hurricane's direction of motion is aligned so that the surge propagates up the bottleneck. Storm surges in excess of 32 feet are possible at New York City; New Bedford and Buzzard's Bay, Massachussets; Florida's Apalachee Bay; the coast north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and in St. Louis Bay in Mississippi.

Figure 2. The four regions of the U.S. coast theoretically prone to storm surges in excess of 33 feet at the coast. These Maximum of the Maximum Envelope Of Waters (MOM) SLOSH model plots are for a maximum strength hurricane hitting at high tide. A theoretical peak storm surge of 33 - 34 feet (pink colors) is predicted by the SLOSH model for New York City near the JFK Airport (upper left), for the Big Bend region of the Florida Gulf Coast (lower right), and for the Intracoastal Waterway north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (lower left). The highest theoretical surge occurs at New Bedford, Massachussets (upper right), 38.5 feet for a Category 4 hurricane.

If you find references for the highest storm surge on record for a U.S. city not listed here, send the info (and URL documenting the record), to: jmasters@wunderground.com.

Alabama

		Mobile:
		11.6', July 5, 1916 Hurricane
		11.45', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
	
		Dauphin Island:
		9.2', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		7.7', July 5, 1916 Hurricane
	
		Gulf Shores:
		11.8', September 1906 hurricane
		9.1', Hurricane Camille, 1969
	

Florida

		Coconut Grove
		15', Great Miami Hurricane of 1926
	

Louisiana

		New Orleans Lakefront Airport
		11.8', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
	
		Grand Isle
		12.0', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
	
		Port Fourchon
		8.0', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
	

Mississippi

		Bay St. Louis:
		25.0', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		21.7', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		15.2', September 1947 Hurricane
	
		Pass Christian:
		27.8', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		22.6', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		13.4', September 1947 Hurricane
	
		Long Beach:
		25.7', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		21.6', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		14.0', September 1947 Hurricane
	
		Gulfport:
		24.5', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		21.0', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		14.0', September 1947 Hurricane
	
		Biloxi:
		22.0', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		19.5', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		11.1', September 1947 Hurricane
	
		Pascagoula:
		18.0', Hurricane Katrina, 2005
		11.8', Hurricane Camille, 1969
		9.0', September 1947 Hurricane
	

New Jersey

		Atlantic City:
		5.2', March 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor'easter
		4.0', January 1956 Nor'easter
		Sandy Hook:
		5.2', March 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor'easter
		4.0', January 1956 Nor'easter
	

Texas

		Port Lavaca:
		22.8', Hurricane Carla, 1961
	
		Corpus Christi
		12', Atlantic-Gulf Hurricane of 1919
	

Virginia

		Norfolk (Sewell's Point):
		9', March 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor'easter
		7.9', Hurricane Isabel, 2003
		6.4', Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane, 1933
		4.9', February 5, 1998 Nor'easter
	

Sources

• http://www.fema.gov/pdf/hazard/flood/recoverydata/ms_overview.pdf
• http://www.csc.noaa.gov/hes/docs/postStorm/H_CAMILLE.pdf
• http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/0805Katrina/