Southeast Seas Rising Faster Than Other Regions, ‘Turbocharging’ Floods, Report Finds

From the Rio Grande to the Outer Banks, sea levels are rising faster than most other parts of the world, blocking the outflow of rivers and streams and causing inland flooding that would not have been seen just a few years ago.

That’s the conclusion of an analysis by The Washington Post and a University of South Alabama professor, published last week. The study found that flooding in many low-lying areas across the coastal Southeastern U.S. will worsen as seas rise. But it pointed out that it doesn’t take record-breaking rain events to flood large areas – even relatively moderate rainfall has nowhere to go when higher seas and unusually high tides are present.

Higher seas are now “turbocharging” flash floods, damaging homes, autos and businesses and human lives, the newspaper reported.

The authors looked at data from the National Weather Service, combined with tide gauges and satellite data, to show that sea levels along the Southeast coast, including the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic coasts, have risen at twice the global rate. In some areas, ocean levels have risen three to four times faster in the last 13 years than they had in the previous 30.

In Dauphin Island, Alabama, on the Gulf, the water rose about a tenth of an inch per year from 1967 to 2009. Since 2010, the seas have climbed almost 7 inches, or almost half an inch per year, the analysis showed. A 2023 flood in nearby Fowl River showed how a modest rain event collided with higher Gulf waters, spreading out into residential neighborhoods and causing heavy flooding.

Scientists are not certain why the coastal region is seeing faster ocean rise than other regions. But some have theorized that ocean currents are moving warmer water deep into the Gulf. Warm water expands, causing seas to climb.

The report was published one day before the Alabama Department of Insurance urged residents to purchase flood insurance before another flood event strikes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency “says just an inch of water can cause more than $25,000 worth of damage. Without a flood policy, you would have to pay for repairs and replacements on your own,” the department noted.

FEMA’s flood cost tool shows estimated damage as waters rise. At 48 inches, less than what some Fowl River residents experienced last summer, damage to a home can top $103,000.

Photo: Floodwaters after a thunderstorm on April 10, 2024, in New Orleans. (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)