Super Blue Moon and Hurricane Idalia: Impact on Florida’s West Coast – High Tides and Flooding

2023-08-30 10:31:28

A rare super blue moon might raise tides above normal just as Hurricane Idalia heads for Florida’s west coast, exacerbating flooding from the storm.

The Moon will be closest to Earth on Wednesday, the same day Idalia is scheduled to make landfall in Florida. While a supermoon can make a spectacular backdrop for photographs of iconic locations around the world, its greater gravitational pull also results in higher tides.

“I would say the timing is pretty bad for this,” said Brian Haines, meteorologist-in-charge for the National Weather Service office in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tidal flooding is expected to worsen not only in Florida, but also in states like Georgia and South Carolina, where Haines’ office has been warning residents that parts of Charleston might be under water by Wednesday followingnoon. the night.

When there’s a full moon, the sun and moon pull in the same direction, which has the effect of raising tides above normal levels, said Kerry Emanuel, professor emeritus of atmospheric sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Moon’s gravitational pull is strongest when it is closest to Earth, so the tides are highest.

Storm surge is often the leading cause of death when hurricanes strike. The US National Hurricane Center forecast in its latest reports on Tuesday that the storm surge might reach 4.6 meters (15 feet) in some areas of the west coast of Florida. Further south, in the Tampa Bay area, up to 7 feet (2.1 meters) of storm surge is expected.

A storm surge that is higher than a person is cause for concern with any Category 3 or larger hurricane. The tides and the influence of the supermoon can increase that.

“There is a saying that you hide from the wind and avoid the water, and I hope people are heeding that advice,” said Brian Tang, an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University at Albany in New York.

The portion of northwestern Florida that might be impacted by Idalia is particularly vulnerable to storm surge because of the region’s geography. The continental shelf extends far offshore and has a gradual slope, allowing the ocean to rise further when hurricane-force winds push water inland, Tang explained. The shape of the coastline in that region, which is known as Florida’s Big Bend area, is also curved inward, which can concentrate storm surge and make it even more dangerous, she said.

In South Carolina, there are concerns that Idalia’s path will take her close to the historic city of Charleston and the surrounding area known as the Low Country. That would add water to the high tide that is forecast, Haines said.

“It looks like Wednesday night is going to be really difficult because of the coastal flooding here,” he said.

The weather service is forecasting an 8.2-foot (2.5-meter) tidal wave in Charleston Wednesday night, which might lead to widespread flooding in downtown Charleston, Haines said. Even with a 7.5-foot (2.3-meter) tide, some roads in the city would be flooded and impassable, he added.

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