Book 30, Question 37
How can the Great Lakes get ocean-sized waves?
Waves grow when wind blows over a long stretch of open water, called the fetch.
On the Great Lakes, the distance can be hundreds of miles, so a strong storm can raise waves as tall as a two-story house. They can behave in a short, steep, choppy way, which is hard for boats. Weather forecasts warn boaters, and beaches post flags when waves are dangerous.
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Quick answers
How can the Great Lakes get ocean-sized waves?
Meteotsunami happen regularly on the Great Lakes , forming when a storm is moving in the same speed and direction as the wave that’s building in front of it.
Source: NOAA
More fun facts
- The Great Lakes can act like giant bathtubs, with water sloshing back and forth after being pushed around by a storm.
- Typically, winds can produce storm surge ranging from one to eight feet on the Great Lakes.
- The Great Lakes Experimental Wave Model runs two times per day, each producing 3-day forecasts of wave heights throughout the Great Lakes.
- The research work began in 2018, after one of these waves surged onto the beach of Lake Michigan near Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks on an afternoon when large destructive waves should not have been present.
Sources: NOAA, Purdue University, NOAA, NOAA