Trinidad Waves! Anyone Met or Other Have Any Ideas??

[artist]

Where did this come from????

Giant Waves - In Trinidad - Our Tsunami
From: "Carol Mc Millan" <carolstar100 at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 23:41:21 +0000





Hi All

Just wanted to share this with you guys hundreds of visitors to one of the most popular beaches the Maracas Bay in Trinidad on Sunday were forced to abandon their beach as huge waves, up to 15 feet high, batterd the shoreline. People sough refuge by standing on Tables tops but the water continued to force itself further inland. A lot of people started to panick as they felt we were about to experience a Tsunami. Most of the fishing boats were badly damaged. Some of the huts on the beach were damaged as the water came up to the counter tops. As the water poured through the doors and windows of one hut a cooking gas tank exploded. Up to late evening, most people who were trapped were making attempts to get to their cars as the height of the waves continued to rise.

It is the first time in 10 years Maracas has experience such. The Metereological Office in Piarco were unable to give a reason for the huge waves, but advised the public to be careful. Apparently for the next 12 hours both Trinidad and Tobago along the nothern coast are expected to experience this sort of weather pattern.


Carol Mc Millan

http://www.stormcarib.com

[rockyman]

Here's a story about the waves:

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=108869968

I found this using Google News...Here's my search:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&q=trinidad+waves

[nequad]

I assume if this was caused by an earthquake we would know. So, perhaps there was some sort of under water rock slide that was undetected. I dunno...just a pure guess.

I live on the Outer Banks...and it was anounced recently that cracks were found along the continental shelf just offshore. Scientists say these cracks could some day break off the shelf....causing tsunami like waves to come racing toward the Outer Banks. Perhaps something similar happened here.

[artist]

thanks both of you. Really weird isn't it?

nequad - have they told you how large they might be?

[artist]

just read the article - seems it lasted all day! Says that some of the waves were 25 ft hihg as well. Would a rock slide last all day?

[brunota2003]

if i remember correct, Ch 12 here had a story on it, and the biggest would be 6 feet, but that was for an earthquake, never heard of the cracks though, hmmm...

[abajan]

Barbados also experienced some of big waves yesterday and one fisherman lost his boat. However, it's my understanding that Trinidad & Tobago got the worst of it.

Unfortunately, I didn't hear what our Mets had to say about what might have caused them.

[sponger]

[url]http://news.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=us/3-0&fp=4354dd77175fd02e&ei=YFJUQ8mGBseuaN7fzIwP&url=http%3A//www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news%3Fid%3D109157300&cid=0[url][/url]

[artist]

incredible! being blamed on td22 and Wilma! They are so far away!

Wow - abajan! Hope he was ok!

[tropicana]

Also..found this additional info on the high waves and rough surf down in Trinidad..I know the surfers would have been happy. Surfing is quite popular on the north coast of Trinidad, like Toco and Sans Souci, more on the north-east coastline.

Abnormal waves at Maracas Bay, Trinidad

St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago W.I. - October 17th, 2005 – On Sunday October 16th, waves surpassing their normal height were reportedly seen at Maracas Bay along Trinidad’s north coast. Records at the Seismic Research Unit show absolutely no evidence of any earthquakes occurring in the region to generate these waves. Scientists have concluded that these waves were not related to any hydro-geologic phenomena and they therefore cannot be classified as tsunamis.

The Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies is the agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes and volcanoes for the English-speaking islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Although coastal hazards such as this fall outside of the purview of the Unit, scientists will be conducting further investigations to better understand this phenomena.


-justin-

[artist]

Really makes you wonder what in the world was going on - looking at vapor loops for the past couple of days show no real clue either.
Could it be true that somehow TD22 and Wilma caused such a thing when not even anywhere near there?

[abajan]

incredible! being blamed on td22 and Wilma! They are so far away!

Wow - abajan! Hope he was ok!

Yep, no one was in his boat at the time. He and other fishermen had contacted a tractor to hawl their boats to safety but unfortunately it broke down on the way there.

As to TD22 and Wilma being responsible for these freak waves, I suppose it's possible but it seems like a bit of a stretch to me. Although I do remember a hurricane named Gabrielle (back in the '80s, I think) that caused similar waves to break on our shores even though it was about 1000 miles to our northeast.

[Lutrastorm]

Looks like The Bahamas got big waves, too.




Top Local Stories



Nature's fury
Surge waters batter an ocean-front home at Sandy Port Saturday afternoon (Photo by Letisha Henderson)

[artist]

Lutrastorm- do you have a link for that story? Thank you in advance!

[schmita]

Heavy waves here too, on both sides of the island

http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/dail ... ll131.html

[artist]

According to Weather Forecaster A.R. Capello of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba Met Service, the “long period Northeasterly swells generated recently by a strong gale over the north Atlantic should continue to cause large breakers over especially our north- and east-facing shores through at least early Monday (today). “

from the article you posted schmita


Here is states is was from a strong gale in the north atlantic - wish we knew for certain. Is this an indication of Wilma's strength or something else?

[Lutrastorm]

Lutrastorm- do you have a link for that story? Thank you in advance!

The front page of the Bahamas newspaper no story, just the photo and caption.

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/

[artist]

thanks Lutrastorm.

Seems to me reviewing water vapor once again it probably was from what appeared to be a trough (cyclone looking) someone that know please tell me. Do a 30 loop image - medium and click in the vicinity of the Windward islands. Also - could it have been the 2 butting up against each other? Wilma and that trough?

http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/goeseastfull.html

[schmita]

Artist
You know I had been watching this "swirly thing" to our immediate East. No one here at Storm2K mentioned it so I thought I was imagining it. But now...after these waves all over the Leeward side of these land masses I have to think it may have had something to do with it.
Thanks
irina

[sponger]

Ocean swells are something I know a little about. The two possibilities, you have 3 separate swells that when the waves are in phase male a much large wave or a swell that was accelarated by another weather system. Amazing few where aware until they hit the beach