High Surf — Southeast Suffolk, New York

2010-03-13 to 2010-03-15 · Southeast Suffolk, New York

Event narrative

The Hamptons suffered the worst beach erosion in 20 years according to Suffolk County officials as waves up to 20 ft battered the shoreline. The Hamptons are estimated to have suffered at least 30 million dollars in property damage.

Wider weather episode

The combination of strong high pressure over Southeast Canada and intensifying low pressure tracking slowly northeast from the Mid-Atlantic States created a prolonged period of strong east winds across the region March 12th through the 14th. The highest winds and resultant tidal rises occurred on March 13th with widespread moderate coastal flooding occurring. Positive tidal departures of 3 to 5 feet were recorded, with many places seeing water levels reaching their highest levels in almost 20 years. In addition, the prolonged east winds generated high surf that battered the Atlantic facing shoreline for several days, which caused severe beach erosion.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 221041. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.