In April 2018, two meteotsunamis formed on Lake Michigan in the same day. Other meteotsunamis on the Great Lakes have risen up to 7, 10 and 12 feet in the last 31 years. The largest meteotsunami was recorded in Croatia in 1978.
People Also Ask
But what is the tallest wave ever recorded on Lake Michigan? Records show that the highest wave recorded reached 23 feet. It came in September 2011 and was recorded by a buoy that has measured waves since 1981. The largest wave was taller than some houses!
In April 2018, two meteotsunamis formed on Lake Michigan in the same day. Other meteotsunamis on the Great Lakes have risen up to 7, 10 and 12 feet in the last 31 years. The largest meteotsunami was recorded in Croatia in 1978.
In most cases, lakes are confined to smaller fetches which limit wave size, but the Great Lakes are large enough to produce frequent swells up to several metres. However, the highest ever recorded waves were 8.7 metres, outside of Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior.
While the terminology tsunami does not technically apply in the Great Lakes (it is an ocean phenomenon), a large, rogue wave or set of waves crashing along our freshwater shores are not unheard of. In 2013, just such a wave occurred along one Lake Erie beach, sweeping several people up and taking them out to sea.