NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Brittney Shipp explains what a meteotsunami is and the impact it had along the New Jersey coast.
What to Know
- It's called a "meteotsunami," and as opposed to the wave events caused by earthquakes, these are instead caused by fast-moving storms
- Preliminary data indicates a small tsunami at a buoy off of Atlantic City around 8:40 p.m., which caused fluctuating water levels for hours
- There were no reports of damage from the event
The National Weather Service says powerful thunderstorms created a small weather-generated tsunami off the New Jersey coast.
Known as a meteotsunami, it resulted in fluctuating water levels for several hours, reaching as high as 10 inches above normal. But there were no reports of damage from the event.
The abnormally high tides were reported in areas from Perth Amboy in New Jersey to Delaware's Fenwick Island.
Officials say meteotsunamis are driven by air-pressure disturbances often associated with fast-moving weather events, such as severe thunderstorms and squalls.
Most meteotsunamis are too small to notice.
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