USGS deploys 13 wave sensors along Florida’s coast ahead of Hurricane Helene

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ever wonder how data is gathered and collected for a hurricane?

The USGS is deploying 13 wave sensors between Venice and Panama City, prior to Hurricane Helene’s landfall to help.

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These sensors are to better understand how storms impact and shape the coasts. They will capture insight information on wave heights, frequency, storm tide, and storm surge from the beginning of the storm until the storm departs, after which scientists will retrieve the instruments to analyze the collected data.

According to USGS, they will deploy these instruments at two specific locations across the cone of uncertainty to record data while the storm passes by.

These instruments include oceanographic buoys and water level and wave sensors secured to the end of piers and on the beach.

According to the National Hurricane Center, potential impacts from Helene include the danger of life-threatening storm surges along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Big Bend and devastating hurricane-force winds across portions of northern Florida.

As a result of all the gathered data, the USGS will use it to recreate the storm and fine-tune future storm surges and coast change forecasts. All the data is used to assist in identifying areas hit the hardest by storm surges and to guide emergency responders and local officials in their recovery efforts. The information could inform flood insurance companies and building departments about improving flood maps or structural design for public safety. Computer simulations will help future forecasting by predicting hazardous impacts.

“Studying Helene and other storms gives real-world insight that’s valuable in helping with community preparedness,” said Kevin Grimsley, who is part of this deployment effort and the associate center director for data with the USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center. “Wave sensors capture data at a very high frequency, so we are able to receive extremely detailed and comprehensive records.”

Information on the sensor deployment and the incoming data will be available on the USGS Flood Event Viewer.

For more information with the USGS or the storm’s projected path, visit ready.gov or listo.gov for tips on creating emergency plans and putting together an emergency supply kit.