These are the “meteorological tsunamis”, or meteotsunamis. Unlike classic tsunamis, these episodes result from atmospheric disturbances.
The investigation draws attention to a little-known coastal hazard, capable of appearing even on rainy days. clear sky: the “meteorological tsunamis”, or in a meteotsunami.
Unlike classic tsunamis, triggered by earthquakes or landslides, these episodes result from atmospheric disturbances — rapid variations in pressure and/or wind — which can transfer energy to the ocean and generate long waves in the same frequency range as tsunamis.
According to , the formation of a meteotsunami requires, in general, a intense and short-lived disturbancetypically a change of 1 to 3 hectopascals in about five minutes, which propagates at an “ideal” speed.
When this speed coincides with the speed of long waves at sea, the so-called Proudman resonance can occur, causing the amplitude of the waves to increase.
For the phenomenon to become dangerous close to land, a decisive factor also comes into play: the coastal bathymetry. Funneled bays and complex bottoms can strongly amplify the wave, creating large sea level fluctuations in specific locations, summarizes the .
Although, on average, they are less destructive than seismic tsunamis, meteotsunamis can reach considerable heights — even 10 metros — and provoke relevant damages. One of the most striking historical cases occurred on June 21, 1978 in Vela Luka, Croatia, with losses estimated at around 7 million dollars at the time. The study also states that these events can cause injuries and deaths, including the episode recorded on January 13, 2026 in Argentina.
The risks to coastal communities go beyond the momentary rise in sea levels. Oscillations can flood riverside areas and homes, while strong currents can break moorings and disrupt maritime traffic — as happened in 2014 in Fremantle. A particularly insidious danger is associated with rip currents, which can sweep swimmers away from the shore. An example cited is the meteotsunami of July 4, 2003, under clear sky conditions, along the beaches of Lake Michigan, which caused seven deaths.
The investigation faces, however, limitations of observation. Much data is collected after the event, with fieldwork, interviews with witnesses and analysis of photographs and videos. The most reliable measurements come from coastal tide gauges, ocean buoys and meteorological records with minute resolution — a requirement not always guaranteed, as various networks operate with 10-, 15-minute or even hourly intervals. Still, local networks, including school or amateur initiatives, can provide useful information.
The field has evolved from very localized studies to a global approach, driven by improvements in monitoring, numerical modeling and the increasing availability of long sea level series with minute-by-minute sampling.
The article also describes an emerging class: meteotsunamis generated by explosive eruptions, such as that of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai in January 2022, capable of producing effects on a planetary scale — a rare parallel since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.
As for the impact of climate change, a evidence is still scarce: There are only two published studies and both suggest the possibility of more intense meteotsunamis in the future, due to more frequent favorable atmospheric conditions. But a robust global assessment is lacking, in part because climate models do not yet reliably reproduce the kilometer-scale (or smaller) atmospheric processes needed to simulate these events. Therefore, operational forecasting and early warning systems remain far from consolidated, although the authors point out expected advances in high-resolution atmospheric models and new parameterizations that better represent turbulence processes.
