This story was originally published about the threat of storm surge posed by Hurricane Irma. (CNN) The National Weather Service says almost half of all deaths from tropical cyclones come from storm surge. Privately, you may be wondering (and you wouldn't be alone): "What exactly is storm surge?" "A storm surge is a rise in water level caused by a strong storm's wind pushing water on-shore," said CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. Forecasters are worried about the surge from Hurricane Florence , which is expected to be a major storm when it pounds the Carolinas on Thursday and Friday.

Source: CNN September 12, 2018 02:03 UTC