RE: [Paddlewise] Effect of Barometric Pressure on Tide Height: Debunking the Myth

From: James <jimtibensky_at_fastmail.fm>
Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2002 12:32:43 -0500
Chuck Holst said:
> I once experienced a storm surge on Lake Superior. I was camped with friends on a low beach in a bay in Pukaskwa National Park when a rainstorm passed by the mouth of the bay. Suddenly the water rose several inches and swirled onto the beach, putting out the fire in the Coleman double-burner stove I was cooking dinner on. The water remained high several minutes, then slowly drained away. 

Chuck - You may have experienced a seiche.  These happen when the air
pressure is lower in one part of great lake than other.  It sets up
something that is usually described as being similar to water sloshing in
a bowl: it goes up on one side and down on the other, then switches. 
These are not all that rare on the Great Lakes.  I once almost got fired
from my lifeguard job at a beach in Chicago because the water had seiched
out and my boat was high and dry with about fifty yards of sand between
me and the water.  The captain's attitude was that I should have pushed
the thing out rather than tell the swimmers to stay out of the water.

Jim Tibensky
> 
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Fri Dec 27 2002 - 09:32:49 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:01 PDT