Coastal Flood — Coastal Rockingham, New Hampshire

2019-10-28 · Coastal Rockingham, New Hampshire

Event narrative

A King Tide event coincided with a weak area of low pressure which brought a foot of storm surge to coastal New Hampshire on October 28th. The Hampton Tide Gauge recorded a storm tide of 11.91 feet, which was close to a foot above flood stage. Tidal flooding was reported in Hampton with 1 foot of inundation reported in the area of Johnson Ave. Numerous homes were surrounded by water.

Wider weather episode

A developing coastal low moved up the Northeast coast from Long Island, New York across Cape Cod, Massachusetts and into the Gulf of Maine on October 28th. This allowed for northeasterly winds up to 25 kts to generate nearshore waves of 6 to 8 feet and a storm surge of 1 to 1.5 feet. This modest storm coincided with a period of high astronomical tides, with the King Tide being the primary reason for the coastal flood event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 861295. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.