Most Of Coastal US Will See Flooding Due To Sea Level Rise, NOAA Says

"WASHINGTON -- Most coastal regions of the United States will see 30 or more days of flooding by 2050 thanks to sea level rise, according to new research the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Thursday.

NOAA's researchers looked at the anticipated frequency of what the National Weather Service considers nuisance flooding, which are floods that are 1 to 2 feet over the regular local high tide and are enough to cause problems but not pose active threats to human life. Some areas of the U.S. are already seeing increased flooding, the researchers said, and it's only going to get worse.

'Coastal communities are beginning to experience sunny-day nuisance or urban flooding, much more so than in decades past. This is due to sea level rise,' William Sweet, an oceanographer at NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services and the report's coauthor, said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, once impacts are noticed, they will become commonplace rather quickly.'"

Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post December 18, 2014.