2023-06-27 05:20:43
An unexpected culprit toppled beach chairs in the usually quiet town of Clearwater Beach, Florida, on June 21. Surfers on the west coast of the United States might laugh at the cause, but the National Weather Service confirmed that the rare 4-foot (1.2-meter) wave was caused by some kind of tsunami, just not the kind to which we are accustomed.
It was a meteotsunami, which is caused by storms with intense gusts of wind, unlike tidal waves unleashed by earthquakes.
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WHAT IS A METEOTSUNAMI?
According to Paul Close, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay, when a storm line moves over the ocean, there can be winds of 30 to 50 miles per hour near the front. The winds push the water, increasing the height of the waves near the coast, before they finally break on the sand.
Meteotsunamis only last about an hour because, once the storm front makes landfall, its effect on the sea diminishes.
The meteotsunami was about 75 centimeters (2.5 feet) higher than the forecast surge height and about 1.2 meters (4 feet) higher than average sea level.
Meteotsunamis of 1.8 meters (6 feet) and higher have been recorded in various parts of the world.
The National Weather Service does not issue specific advisories for meteotsunamis. If the agency forecasts a storm to have a substantial impact, it issues a warning of possible coastal flooding.
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WHEN ARE METEOTSUNAMIS FORMED?
Close said stronger storms and storm lines — groups of storms that move in a line and bring intense rain and wind — are more common in Florida during the winter months.
“They don’t happen as often this time of year, but the current weather pattern has been somewhat unusual, with all the heat in Texas and cold, wet weather in the Northeast. This time of year people usually have easterly winds, but we’ve had westerly winds for most of June,” he added.
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