Coastal Flood — Somerset, Maryland

2012-10-29 to 2012-10-30 · Somerset, Maryland

Event narrative

Water levels reached 3.0 feet to 4.5 feet above normal adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay resulting in moderate to severe coastal flooding. The town of Crisfield experienced severe flooding...with some areas inundated with 5 feet of water. Numerous homes and business were flooded. Water levels were above those experienced in 1999 with the remnants of Hurricane Floyd, and were likely enhanced by runoff from the very heavy rainfall associated with Sandy. The bulk of the damage in Somerset county occurred in Crisfield, and the nearby town of Fairmount.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Cyclone Sandy moving northward well off the Mid Atlantic Coast then northwest into extreme southern New Jersey produced very strong northeast winds followed by very strong west or northwest winds. The very strong winds caused moderate to severe coastal flooding across portions of Lower Maryland.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 418294. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.