17 January 2016

Meteo-Tsunami in Naples Area

Posted by Dan Satterfield

 

From NOAA/NOS. Note the peak in water level early this morning.

From NOAA/NOS. Note the peak in water level early this morning.

A rare event seems to have happened in SW Florida this morning, as a strong squall line moved through. It’s called a meteo-tsunami, and it pushed water levels up by over 5 feet! The squall line also produced at least two tornadoes, with one of them causing significant damage to 14 homes near Cape Coral. A real clue that this was indeed a meteo tsunami, is the pressure couplet recorded by the Naples tide buoy.

Note the rapid drop in pressure as the squall line passed.

Note the drop in pressure as the squall line approached. Then the pressure jump at 5 AM. This,  and the winds, are key to this event.

Dr. Marshall Shepherd at the University of Georgia (Past President of the AMS) has more on this event and just what a meteo tsunami is here.