Articles | Volume 29, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2043-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2043-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Pluvial and potential compound flooding in a coupled coastal modeling framework: New York City during post-tropical Cyclone Ida (2021)
Civil, Environmental & Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA
Philip M. Orton
Civil, Environmental & Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA
David K. Ralston
Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
John C. Warner
US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
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Ziyu Chen, Philip M. Orton, James F. Booth, Thomas Wahl, Arthur DeGaetano, Joel Kaatz, and Radley M. Horton
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3101–3117, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3101-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3101-2025, 2025
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Urban flooding can be driven by rain and storm surge or the combination of the two, which is called compound flooding. In this study, we analyzed hourly historical rain and surge data for New York City to provide a more detailed statistical analysis than prior studies of this topic. The analyses reveal that tropical cyclones (e.g., hurricanes) have potential for causing more extreme compound floods than other storms, while extratropical cyclones cause less extreme, more frequent compound events.
Chu-En Hsu, Katherine A. Serafin, Xiao Yu, Christie A. Hegermiller, John C. Warner, and Maitane Olabarrieta
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3895–3912, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3895-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3895-2023, 2023
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Total water levels (TWLs) induced by tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the leading hazards faced by coastal communities. Using numerical models, we examined how TWL components (surge and wave runup) along the South Atlantic Bight varied during hurricanes Matthew (2016), Dorian (2019), and Isaias (2020). Peak surge and peak wave runup were dominated by wind speeds and relative positions to TCs. The exceedance time of TWLs was controlled by normalized distances to TC and TC translation speeds.
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Short summary
Coastal urban areas are highly prone to flooding from rainfall, storm surge, and the combination of both. We improve a coastal model and use it to quantify flooding from Hurricane Ida in the Jamaica Bay watershed of New York City (NYC), creating a flood map and flooded area estimation. Experiments with shifted storm tracks and rainfall timing at high tide show that Ida, already the worst rainfall in NYC, could have been worse. This highlights the area's vulnerability and the need for thorough flood risk analysis.
Coastal urban areas are highly prone to flooding from rainfall, storm surge, and the combination...