Tropical storms, hurricanes, and other large coastal storms can affect coastal and inland communities and ecosystems with high winds, storm surge, erosion, and flooding. When a major storm threatens to make landfall in the United States or its territories, the USGS provides comprehensive scientific capabilities and information that decision makers, emergency responders, and communities can use to help them prepare for, cope with, and recover from a storm. This includes the USGS’s ability to forecast coastal change; track storm surge, river and stream levels, and flow; capture high-resolution ground elevation and topographic data; create detailed maps that can be used by disaster teams responding in the aftermath of storms; and measure coastal and inland flooding across entire regions. Before a storm’s expected landfall, USGS coastal change experts forecast how a storm may reshape the coastline using a sophisticated system they developed called the coastal change hazard forecast model.

Each storm is unique, both in the individual storm characteristics and the areas each effect and here we share how the USGS responded to the storms: Isaias, Marco, Laura, Sally, Paulette, and Teddy.

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Isaias

In July, the hurricane season began with Hurricane Isaias, a destructive Category 1 storm that caused extensive damage across the Caribbean and the East coast of the United States. As Isaias raced north up the Atlantic Seaboard Tuesday at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour, USGS crews (that consisted of at least 87 hydrologists and hydrologic technicians) from South Carolina to New York fanned out across rain-swollen waterways to measure the effects of the storm.

Learn more about the USGS response to Hurricane Isaias.

Marco

On August 20, Hurricane Marco was the first of two tropical cyclones to threaten the Gulf Coast of the United States within a three-day period, the other being Hurricane Laura. Marco developed from a fast-moving tropical wave west of the Windward Islands and south of Jamaica. USGS scientists assessed coastal impacts, predicting that 33 percent of the barrier islands and beaches across the region would see some storm-caused erosion, with effects concentrated in Louisiana. USGS scientists set storm-tide sensors to measure Marco’s storm surge and left them in place to record the effects of Hurricane Laura, an unusual situation, having two storms on track for landfall in the same area within days of each other.

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Laura

On August 27, Hurricane Laura was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Louisiana, bringing heavy rains, wind, and storm surge. The USGS provided real-time data on water levels for river and streams, as well as coastal change forecasts that predicted that more than half of Louisiana’s barrier islands and beaches would be inundated by hurricane’s storm surge, whereas effects on sandy shorelines in Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama would be less severe. Laura made landfall only days after Marco, however, which created unique conditions and challenges for scientists.

“We are monitoring two storms that will likely make landfall in roughly the same area of coastline. Usually, there is time between storms that allows beaches to recover naturally, but in this case there won’t be any time for recovery, which makes the coast more vulnerable and forecasting more unique, ”  said Research Oceanographer Kara Doran, leader of the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Access the Flood Event Viewer.

Watch the Storm Tide Sensor video: https://www.usgs.gov/news/track-potential-flooding-laura-usgs-flood-event-viewer

By mid-September, four named storms and three tropical disturbances were on the move at the same time.

Sally

On September 16, Hurricane Sally re-intensified in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Again, USGS crews worked to track, forecast, and measure record flooding and coastal change associated with the storm and provided water-level data to emergency managers.

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Paulette and Teddy

In mid-September, these two storms were out in the Atlantic brewing up large storm swells that affected the U.S. Atlantic coastline from North Carolina to Maine while Hurricane Sally was active in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The tropical systems in the Atlantic, though far from the coast, have the potential to cause beach and dune erosion and even overwash along the U.S Atlantic coast from North Carolina north to Maine,” said oceanographer Kara Doran, leader of the Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team as her team prepared forecasts for coastal change and related hazards.  “The swells from these storms are large, long-period waves that elevate water levels at the coast, even though there isn't any accompanying storm surge. In fact, it could be a beautiful sunny day, but you wouldn't want to go to the beach during these dangerous surf conditions. That’s why these continuously running forecasts of coastal water levels are important,” Doran said. “They can alert people to coastal hazards in all kinds of situations."

The USGS responded quickly to each of these storms. Much of the initial real-time streamflow data are used by other Federal agencies such as The National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and local emergency managers to develop flood forecasts, make flood control decisions, track flooding, and identify evacuation routes. These data and forecasts help emergency management officials and coastal planners protect lives and property by using the data to decide which areas to evacuate, where and when to close coastal roads, and where to position clean-up equipment in advance of the storm. The enhanced emergency planning and response saves lives and property.

“The real-time information these streamgages provide is invaluable in providing timely, critical information to decision makers as they address public safety,” said Marie Peppler, USGS emergency management coordinator. “It’s also very useful for the public as they track local conditions, but everyone should always follow the evacuation and safety guidance of their local emergency officials.”

In addition, as part of its scientific mission, the USGS uses the scientific information gained by each storm to help scientists continue to improve the accuracy of forecasting for future storm surges, floods, and coastal change to help reduce risk and improve the resilience of our nation.

The Role of the USGS in Responding to Hurricanes

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The USGS creates detailed maps of our Nation’s shorelines, dunes, and coastal cliffs; and studies how storm processes affect our coastlines. This information is used to predict and map coastal vulnerability to changes caused by major storms, long-term shoreline erosion, sea-level rise, and sea cliff erosion.

One example is the USGS Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast viewer, which uses storm surge predictions, wave forecast models, beach slope, and dune height to predict how high waves and surge will move up a beach during a hurricane, and whether the protective dunes will be overtopped. This helps emergency managers identify where serious problems are likely to occur during a storm.

The USGS also often deploys a network of storm-tide sensors at key locations when a hurricane is approaching the coast. The information they collect helps public officials assess storm damage, discern between wind and flood damage, and improve computer models used to forecast future floods.

For more than 125 years, the USGS has monitored flow in selected streams and rivers across the United States. The information is routinely used for water supply and management, for monitoring floods and droughts, for bridge and road design, for determining flood risk, and for many recreational activities.

Access current flood and high-flow conditions across the country by visiting the USGS WaterWatch website. Receive instant, customized updates about water conditions in your area via text message or email by signing up for USGS WaterAlert.