Scientists Hope Atmospheric Modeling Can Predict Meteotsunamis
The first extensively documented air pressure–driven meteotsunami on one of the Great Lakes presents an opportunity to use existing weather models to predict when these potentially deadly waves will strike.
A meteotsunami sends water cascading over a breakwater off Ludington, Mich., on 13 April 2018. Credit: Debbie Maglothin
3 hours ago
These waves were “by far the most dramatic in terms of the amount of rise and fall of the water level within just a few minutes.”On 13 April 2018, large waves up to 2 meters high (more than 6.5 feet) traveled across Lake Michigan and hit Ludington, a city of some 8,100 people in Michigan, damaging homes and docks. For local photographer Todd Reed, who frequently photographs storms along the Lake Michigan shoreline, this event was especially memorable. “I have experienced several storm surges over the past several decades,” Reed said. These waves were “by far the most dramatic in terms of the amount of rise and fall of the water level within just a few minutes,” he said.