Weatherwatch: 'tidal waves' in the Adriatic Sea

The surges are driven by several factors, including when water piles up ahead of strong winds blowing onshoreA century ago a "tidal wave" flooded Venice to a depth of almost a metre. Two days later the same wave inundated Genoa, closing roads and railway lines. This was not what we would now call a tidal wave or tsunami, but a surge driven by a combination of factors.Part of the water rise was directional storm surge, where water piles up ahead of a strong wind. The height of a storm surge increases with the distance of open water over which the wind blows, and when the sirocco wind from the Sahara lines up to blow the entire length of the Adriatic, it may produce dramatic surges. Continue reading...