Researchers Find Meteotsunamis are an Underrated Hazard in the Great Lakes
A team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has found that small, one-foot, tsunamis caused by thunderstorms (meteotsunamis) happen more than 100 times per year on the Great Lakes. Also, larger meteotsunamis of nearly three feet occur once per year on average. Meteotsunamis are single waves similar to, but smaller than, tsunamis caused by earthquakes or landslides. Instead of being caused by seismic activity, meteotsunamis are formed by strong storms that move over the water.