Coastal Flooding: Research and Tools
See below for real-time water level monitoring, interactive maps, historic shorelines, and more tools to assist with coastal flooding.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA's Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper maps the people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flooding. In additional to societal and environmental information, the mapper allows you to select between high-tide flooding, FEMA Flood Zones, tsunami run-up zones, storm surge, and sea level rise. The tool also provides guidance for using these maps to engage community members and stakeholders.
Related: NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer allows you to see where different water levels may inundate your area, foot-by-foot. The entire site focuses on sea level rise, but the water level slider is useful for assessing coastal flooding risk from multiple events - such as combined storm surge and sea level rise. NOAA's Projected High Tide Flooding map provides an outlook for the amount of days that will have high tide flooding for future years.
Note: NOAA's coastal flooding maps currently do not account for some protective measures in Washington - such as dikes in Aberdeen and La Conner. Additionally, the mapped water levels for sea level rise do not extend upstream as far as some tides actually reach. For the best available sea level rise data, see Sea Level Rise: Research and Tools.
NOAA's Coastal Inundation Dashboard provides real-time information on water level, wind speed, barometric pressure and more. It also connects you to the tide station's home page and NOAA's High Tide Bulletin.
NOAA's Historical Map and Chart Collection contains historic maps of the United States coastlines, with maps of Washington's coast dating back to early European exploration of the region in the 1700s. These maps are useful for understanding where streams and shorelines have been covered over by development, which can be a sign of coastal flooding risk.
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
The USACE’s Hydrologic Engineering Center hosts computer software for hydrologic engineering and planning analysis procedures. Although this software is developed to meet the needs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ planning and engineering communities, software is available to the public for download.
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
USGS’ Washington Current Water Conditions map shows up-to-date information about surface water, groundwater, and water quality for monitoring sites across Washington.
University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
The Tribal Climate Tool shows future climate projections for tribes in Washington and beyond – in both map and chart form. This includes data that affects future coastal flooding, such as sea level rise, precipitation, and streamflow projections. Read more about the tool or check out the entire suite of Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources.
Washington State Department of Ecology: Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program
Department of Ecology’s Coastal Atlas contains flood hazard maps and an interactive mapping tool that shows historic shorelines, sea level rise, and more layers related to coastal flooding. The Coastal Atlas also contains aerial shoreline photos taken for multiple years.
Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
DNR’s Lidar Portal allows you to see high-resolution elevation maps and download high-resolution data that can assist with managing coastal flooding.
This list of resources is focused on state-wide information and resources produced by CHRN partners. Contact your city or county planning department for additional local information such as the latest Shoreline Master Program updates, Hazard Mitigation Plans, local maps and more.