Natural Hazards

USGS New Jersey Water Science Center Flood Reports and other documentation from 1896 to the present.

Before, during, and after Hurricanes affect the United States, the USGS is involved in measuring the height and intensity of coastal storm surge and water levels of inland rivers and streams. The USGS maintains web pages devoted to tracking the impacts of these major storms on the east coast.

The USGS works in partnership with other federal and state agencies to provide scientific data about coastal flood hazards. The New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC) maintains a network of continuously operating tide gages along the back bays of New Jersey which provide publicly available water-level and meteorological data to monitor coastal flood conditions. The USGS NJWSC coordinates with our...

Recent shallow landslides have occurred on the steep hillslopes of the Atlantic Highlands area during and after large storm events with exceptionally heavy rainfall. These shallow landslides have resulted in extensive damage to residential property and local infrastructure and threatened human safety.The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC) and the USGS Landslide Hazards Program (LHP) are...

Hurricane Sandy made a variety of impacts along the highly populated northeastern Atlantic seaboard in October 2012. Improved understanding of these impacts will better prepare us for the next one. As a result the USGS science provides a strong foundation for decision makers, planners and resource managers.

A method of estimating the flood magnitude and frequency of ungaged streams in New Jersey is an important need of engineers and planners. The potential for flooding and an increase in the potential damage due to flooding has increased in many areas as the population of New Jersey has grown from about 5 million people in 1950 to over 8 million people in 2000. The overall objective of this project...

Updated flood-frequency figures will be developed for the 5 USGS gaging stations along the Delaware River on New Jersey's western boundary. This work will be closely coordinated with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District.

The objectives of this study were to locate and survey in high water marks, determine updated flood frequencies for Delaware River gages in NJ, and publish a report. This is in response to a major flood occurred along the Delaware River on April 3-5, 2005.

Federal, state and local agencies need flood-peak data for zoning, building permitting, and flood protection. Flood data needed are high-water elevations, flood discharges, and flood-frequency information. Stankowski in 1974 developed equations relating peak discharge to basin characteristics. Forty-six percent more station years of flood data are now available for analysis. Much of the additional...