A meteorite tsunami was recorded on June 21 in Clearwater Beach, FL, as a series of thunderstorms struck the coast.
ByIsabella O’Malley Associated Press
FILE – Waves crash at Outlook Beach on Sept. 30, 2022 in Hampton, Virginia. Storms with strong winds sometimes cause a phenomenon known as a meteotsunami, in which the winds pressurize the water and raise the height of the wave near the coast. It eventually crashes on the shore. (Billy Schurman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, File)
The Associated Press
On June 21 an unexpected culprit toppled beach chairs along the sand in the normally quiet Clearwater Beach, Florida. West Coast surfers may laugh at the reason, but the National Weather Service confirms that the rare 4-foot wave was caused by a type of tsunami, not quite the kind you’re used to.
It was a meteorite tsunami, which is caused by a storm with strong winds, as opposed to the more dramatic tsunami generated by an earthquake.
What is meteotsunami?
When a line of storms moves over the ocean, winds of 30-50 miles per hour can occur near the leading edge, according to Paul Close, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay. Winds push the water, increasing the height of the waves near the coast. before it eventually crashes onto the shore.
Meteotsunamis only last about an hour because once the leading edge of the storm makes landfall, the action subsides.
The meteotsunami was about two and a half feet higher than the predicted wave height and about four feet above mean sea level.
Meteorite tsunamis of six feet and higher have been recorded around the world.
The National Weather Service does not issue specific weather advisories for tsunamis. If the agency forecasts that a storm will have a substantial impact, it issues a coastal flood watch or warning.
When do meteosunamis form?
Close said severe thunderstorms and lines of squalls — groups of storms that move with strong winds and heavy rain — are more common around Florida during the winter months.
“It doesn’t happen often this time of year, but the current atmospheric pattern has been somewhat unusual due to a full summer in Texas and cold and wet weather in the Northeast. People usually have winds from the east at this time of year, but we have westerly winds for almost the whole of June,” Klose said.
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