KATC StormTeam 3 Weather BLOG

This week is “Hurricane Preparedness Week” so we have kicked of a series of discussions on subject matter relative to Acadiana and our coast.  I am trying to follow the guide per the National Hurricane Center, so today I talked about Rita’s surge and why we are so vulnerable to hurricane storm surges.  It becomes fairly straight forward when you know your elevation and distance from the Gulf.  A crude rule of thumb about surge along our coast is that the surge can penetrate up to one mile for every foot in surge height.  With Rita, we had a 10-15 foot surge that did penetrate 10-15 miles inland.  Of course, it is really not that simple, storm strength, forward speed, angle of the storm striking the coast and rainfall are all factors.  Rita and Katrina gave us a real idea of the tenacity of storm surges.  These storms have forced us to evaluate our position with respect to the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why I generated elevation maps for the coastal parishes.  These maps are 3-foot resolution maps and are for rough guidance.  To truly know you elevation, you need to check the FEMA maps, your local zoning office, and have a survey done on your property by a professional. 

Hopefully we will provide useful information for you this week, and that you’ll be following along with us.  We won’t concentrate on worst case meteorological scenarios, because the worst case situation is when you are not ready.  Have your plan of action for this season now, as we live on the front porch of hurricane central. 

On a lighter local note, slight rain chances may improve later this week as the ridge of high pressure that has been dominating our area over the last few weeks should shift eastward by the weekend.  This will open the door for deeper tropical moisture to move into the region…unfortunately just in time for the big three day weekend. 

Rob Perillo