Do you know what a SEICHE is? It is all the buzz in northwest Ohio. Earlier today, Ross Ellet and Meteorologist on 13ABC (Toledo, Ohio) made a post on Facebook describing a seiche, and what was happening in Lake Erie.
His post began with. . . Breaking: Low Water Advisory Issued For "Abnormally Low" Water Levels. The post was shared 135 times, including by yours truly. I noticed several of my colleagues across the state also shared, and many people commented that they had not heard of this weather phenomenon, and looked up additional information to learn more. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to share information on BYGL and increase awareness even more.
I was very excited when Ross Ellet said that I could use his seiche posts as part of this BYGL Alert.
His first Facebook post began. . .
The Lake Erie Seiche has started and the already low water levels have dropped about a foot overnight. The drop of water will be slow and fairly steady through the daylight hours today (December 4). We will near "low water datum" by late afternoon. However, the stronger winds and slight wind direction change late evening will lead to a bigger water drop overnight tonight. Water levels are expected to reach its lowest level between daybreak and 11am Thursday (December 5) morning when the water level will be about 4 feet lower than yesterday near Toledo. This will expose the bottom of the lake that is rarely seen in some spots near Toledo. If you do head out to the lakeshore to explore, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1) It is going to be VERY cold tomorrow (December 5) morning with a wind chill at or below 0. Prepare for the elements. Do not get wet, that could become a much bigger safety issue with that chill.
2) The water level will gradually drop over the next 24 hours, but it will come up at a quicker rate. It is possible that the water will increase 4 feet in just 6 hours (11am to 5pm on Thursday, December 5)
3) If you get any cool photos, I would love to see them. And, I think many of us are eagerly awaiting to see them too.
And then there was a second Facebook post with the graphic below. . .
Weather Nerd Alert: Lake Erie 8 Feet Higher In Buffalo Than Toledo
The big water shift (or Lake Erie seiche) is on. As I mentioned earlier today, the water drop has been a slow one for now, but things are about to ramp up. The lowest water level in Toledo will be tomorrow (December 5) morning around or just after sunrise. Meanwhile, that is when Buffalo will see their highest water level which is expected to be more than 8 feet higher than Toledo! The winds will push the water away from us and pile it up toward Buffalo. Once the winds change direction, and turn lighter late tomorrow, the water will rush back. The newest projections show the water level rising 4.5 feet in just 6 hours in Toledo tomorrow between 11am and 5pm.
So now that you learned about what is happening in Toledo, Ohio and Buffalo, New York in real-time, here are few more details to learn more about this weather phenomenon.
The word seiche is French for “to sway back and forth.”
Factors influencing seiches include:
- Wind: Sustained high winds from one direction.
- Atmospheric pressure: (also known as barometric pressure). The pressure at any point in an atmosphere due solely to the weight of the atmospheric gases. Changes in atmospheric pressure add to the effect of wind.
- Basin size, shape and depth: Basin characteristics can affect frequency and severity of storm surges and seiches. For example, storm surges and seiches are common on Lake Erie due to its east-west orientation, prevailing westerly winds and shallow depth at its western end.
After a storm moves past the lake, and the wind and pressure are no longer pushing the water, the piled up water moves toward the opposite end of the lake. The water sloshes from one end of the lake to the other a few times until the water level is returned to normal. That sloshing back and forth is called a seiche.
If weather cooperates tomorrow morning, I will hopefully experience the seiche first hand.
