What is coastal flooding? Here's how it impacts Maryland

What is coastal flooding?

Towns surrounding water across Maryland have been issued that warning into Wednesday, and a renewed hazard for flooding arrives on a Friday storm. 

WJZ First Alert Meteorologist Steve Sosna explains what Coastal flooding means and the difference between the levels of concern.

We talk about coastal flooding in our area a lot, and we talk about the terms "minor," "moderate" and "major."

A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING is in effect for the areas in southern Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties, for 2 to 3 feet of inundation at high tide from Tuesday afternoon through the first half of Wednesday. 

[Flooding concerns come with potentially powerful storm tonight]

Minor Coastal flooding

We see minor coastal flooding all the time with a lot of storms. 

Water levels are rising with climate change and when we get storms that push the water in, you get flooding. Most of our Coastal flooding ends are minor.

What does that mean?

That means that water is coming over the streets but not posing a risk to your life or your property. 

It can look extreme. When you see water-filled streets, it seems like it is major flooding, but it is not.

Moderate coastal flooding

There are strict definitions and these definitions matter.

When you get to "moderate" coastal flooding, you are getting a few feet of water above dry ground. 

At this point, your car can get trapped in the water, you can get stranded in a location and there can be some damage impacts, meaning water coming into your house, if you are in a vulnerable area.

Major coastal flooding (what we are anticipating)

But the difference-maker with this storm is that we are expecting "major" coastal flooding in some locations. 

Major is a big deal here. When I am talking about "major" coastal flooding, the threshold of meeting in each area is different based on how high the land is. 

But, if you are in a major category, that means there is a significant risk of property damage. Water is one of the strongest forces out there.

It can pile through your house. It can cause damage. It can trap and isolate communities. We are expecting that here for some of the high tides early on Wednesday morning.

Be prepared for Coastal flooding

So, you need to educate yourself if you are in one of those vulnerable zones and do not drive through those waters.

Be prepared that there could be possible damage on Wednesday morning. 

It's not one of those storms you want to say, "let's check this out" to see how cool it is. This is dangerous and life-threatening.

We've seen a lot of minor events that look major but we are going to get the real deal, major event.

Make sure you are staying safe