You can see the possible catastrophic impact that the storm surge from Hurricane Milton could have on Florida this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a “Sea Level Rise Viewer” that allows you to choose a storm surge height and see how that would affect the entire country.
Experts believe the storm surge from Milton could be as high as 12 feet, and the Sea Level Rise Viewer only goes up to 10 feet. So there’s a chance the actual damage could be even worse, but it still offers a visual of what could happen.
Click here to use the tool. You can slide the water level up and down on the left side of the page. Zoom in or out of Florida’s west coast to see specific areas.
The NOAA says the point of the tool is to give users “a way to visualize community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise.”
There are also simulations of how future flooding could affect certain landmarks.
Here are the instructions from the NOAA:
Use the vertical slider to simulate water level rise, the resulting inundation footprint, and relative depth. Click on icons in the map to view sea level rise simulations at specific locations.
Water levels are relative to local Mean Higher High Water Datum. Areas that are hydrologically connected to the ocean are shown in shades of blue (darker blue = greater depth).
Low-lying areas, displayed in green, are hydrologically “unconnected” areas that may also flood. They are determined solely by how well the elevation data captures the area’s drainage characteristics. The mapping may not accurately capture detailed hydrologic/hydraulic features such as canals, ditches, and stormwater infrastructure. A more detailed analysis, may be required to determine the area’s actual susceptibility to flooding.
There is not 100% confidence in the elevation data and/or mapping process. It is important not to focus on the exact extent of inundation, but rather to examine the level of confidence that the extent of inundation is accurate (see mapping confidence tab).
NOAA website
