“16-Foot Storm Surges, 500 Miles Of Coastline Flooded” Here’s What A Category 5 Hurricane Would Do To NYC

zerohedge.com / by Tyler Durden / Sep 19, 2017 5:35 PM

Luckily for residents of New Jersey, New York and New England, Hurricane Jose isn’t expected to pass close enough to the northeastern US coast during its journey north through the Atlantic to cause any real damage.  While the National Hurricane Center has warned that the category one storm is expected to cause “dangerous surf and rip currents” along the east coast for a few more days, the region will thankfully be spared the devastation of Sandy, which battered areas with comparatively tame 80 mph winds. By comparison, Irma battered Puerto Rico with gusts of up to 135 mph.

However, the narrow miss – particularly given the sheer destruction wrought by Hurricanes so early in the season – has prompted some to wonder: What would happen if New York City had to face the worst possible scenario: A category 5 storm making landfall in the city.

According to Bloomberg, it’s unlikely that a hurricane would be able to maintain category 5 status while traveling that far north, given sea temperatures and weather patterns. But as the boundaries of what’s scientifically possible are constantly in flux, this reality is not out of the question.

Indeed, rising sea waters are forcing meteorologists and emergency managers to consider scenarios they once believed were improbable. The water level around New York is 1.1 feet higher today than in 1900 and could increase as much as 2 feet more by 2050.

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