Tampa Bay Water Gone, Photos & Video Show Eerie Drainage Of Shoreline By Irma
Water in Tampa Bay is literally gone after Hurricane Irma drained it from the shoreline before hitting the area on Sunday. Photos and videos of the bizarre scene show an empty shore and the drainage goes for miles.
Tampa Bay Times reports that Hurricane Irma is so strong that it’s pulling water from the shores. Those determined to ride out Irma are getting a first hand look at something rarely seen. Exposed mud, sand, grass, and other content mesmerizes witnesses who are out investigating the dry seabed. It was still unsafe to be in the local waterways that are drained because the worst of the hurricane hadn’t yet happened.
The low pressure of Irma arriving in Tampa Bay at a Category 4 has the momentum to draw in wind powerful enough to suck up water from shore. The hurricane was moving at 9 miles per hour with sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center reported at 11 a.m. local time.
Water that vanished from the shores in Tampa Bay could be seen from Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa to Clearwater Harbor and all over the region. The video below shows the eerie look ahead of Irma hitting Tampa.
The same occurrence happened on Friday in the Bahamas. Photos and video of the bare ocean floor were shared by the Inquisitr in its report here.
Meteorologist and atmospheric scientist Angela Fritz of the Washington Post describe what happened in Tampa Bay and the Bahamas as a hurricane “bulge” taking place. Irma is so powerful that it sucks all of the water into itself and draws the water upward. It eventually returns, but not in a rush like a tsunami would — it makes a gradual comeback. Typically, if ocean water suddenly disappears and the sea floor is exposed, it’s a sign that a tsunami is unfolding and anyone on shore has just five minutes to flee.
There will probably be more instances of the water disappearing along shorelines and bays as Hurricane Irma continues to storm through the southern Florida region. Even news teams on CNN are warning people to refrain from exploring the empty seabeds because the water will return and have with it storm surges. It’s intriguing to see where the water once was and is now vacant, but it remains unsafe.
[Featured Image by DelmasLehman/iStock Photos]
