Tsunamis from the Sky

Alexandria, VA - On a beautiful, clear June morning in 1954, a massive wave suddenly swept Michigan, killing at least seven people along the Chicago waterfront. At the time, the wave was thought to be caused by a storm that had earlier passed over northern Lake Michigan. However, it wasn’t until recently that scientists unraveled how a storm can create and propagate these far-traveling waves, called meteorological tsunamis or meteotsunamis.

The Great Lakes, along with the Mediterranean, Japan, and many other parts of the world, have a long history of such waves, which have characteristics similar to tsunamis triggered by earthquakes or landslides. Although they may be less common than seismic tsunamis, meteotsunamis can still be destructive and deadly.

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