Three tropical storms that generated surges in "Zone 2"

Images courtesy Unisys Corporation (2011)


Three tropical storms generated surges that reached their peak height in "Zone 2," which covers the Central Texas Coast. Here is a summary of these three events.

Name: Tropical Storm Abby
Year: 1964
Max winds at landfall: ~ 63 MPH
Peak Surge Height: 4 feet
Peak Surge Location: Matagorda to Freeport, Texas

Name: Tropical Storm Candy
Year: 1968
Max winds at landfall: ~ 69 MPH
Peak Surge Height: ~ 4.5 feet
Peak Surge Location: Palacios, Texas

Name: Tropical Storm Frances
Year: 1998
Max winds at landfall: ~ 63 MPH
Peak Surge Height: 8 feet
Peak Surge Location: Matagorda Locks, Texas


SURGEDAT identified 202 historical storm surge events along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Most tropical storms in this dataset generated surges in the 3-5 foot range. Tropical Storm Frances' 8-foot surge was very large for a tropical storm; this surge level is perhaps the highest generated by a tropical storm along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

These surge events may provide some general guidance regarding possible surge levels produced by Tropical Storm Don. Hopefully Don's surge will be closer to the typical storm surge levels generated by tropical storms in this region (3-5 feet), minimizing coastal damage.