Powerful Hurricane Ian not only brought strong winds and heavy rain, but also caused a curious phenomenon on the coast of western Florida known as a reverse storm surge.
This caused the ocean water to disappear from Tampa Bay and other areas on Wednesday morning, just before the category 4 cyclone made landfall with sustained winds of 240 km / h.
The images on social networks showed the wet sand of the bay that was left once the water “disappeared”. Several passers-by ventured to approach and walk on the algae that were left out in the open.
Here are a few pictures of the receding water at Venice. IMPORTANT NOTE: The water WILL come back. Please do not attempt to walk there or any other location with receding water. https://t.co/frMvkCrvBP
— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) September 28, 2022
The US National Weather Service shared an image of what happened, issuing a warning. “Important note: the water will come back. Don’t try to walk there or anywhere else the water has receded.”
Later the water would not only return, but would do so with “catastrophic” tides, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The last time a registered reverse storm surge in Tampa was in 2017during the passage of Hurricane Irma, which also reached the US with category 4.
To understand why this happens, we must pay attention to several factors, such as the structure of the hurricane and its winds.
wind direction
The winds of tropical cyclones, when they form north of the Equator, circulate counterclockwise, that is, from right to left.
The western coast of Florida is located in the opposite direction of the rotation of the cyclone. Therefore, in the areas to the north of the hurricane, it causes the water to recede into the ocean.
On the contrary, in the areas that are to the south, the cyclone causes the ocean water to enter in the form of a storm surge.
According to meteorologist José Álamo, of the US National Weather Service, when the storm surge occurs in reverse there is usually a “low tide” before the arrival of the cyclone.
“When the water recedes, it means the hurricane is on its way,” he said.
the return of the sea
However, the very movement of the hurricane’s winds leads to a change of direction when moving through an area: what was going in one direction, when changing position, will return in the opposite direction.
So, when the area that was to the north of the hurricane is to the south, the same thing happens, but in the opposite direction. It is what we call upwelling or coastal flooding of a hurricane.
It also happens that when the hurricane moves away from the place where the waters have receded, they can slowly return, as the tropical system leaves the area.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-63069151, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-09-28 23:30:06
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