‘Catastrophic’ storm surge danger looms for SWFL

Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS, Fla. Storm surge poses a major threat to Southwest Florida as Hurricane Irma draws closer.

Areas along the coast could see storm surge of 9 feet or higher, WINK Chief Meteorologist Jim Farrell said.

The National Weather Service described the potential storm surge effect as “catastrophic.”

A 9-foot storm surge means 9 feet of water above ground, Farrell said. Distance from sea level is already taken into account, so the elevation of a particular place doesn’t matter — if a 9-foot storm surge is forecast, there could be 9 feet of water above the ground.

The storm surge risk has been in place for Collier County for the last few days, but as Irma’s forecast track has turned west, the risk has grown for Lee and Charlotte counties.

Localized storm surge forecast maps are below:

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