TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay experienced a rare reverse storm surge as Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening, temporarily drawing water out of the bay and exposing parts of the bay floor that are typically submerged.
Video taken by NewsNation reporter Brian Entin showed the seawater heavily receding by Bayshore Boulevard.
“All the water has run out of the bay,” Entin said.
This phenomenon occurs when strong winds blow offshore, forcing water out of coastal bays, as explained by Peter Stempel, an associate professor in landscape architecture at Penn State, in a 2022 blog post. But, the effect is temporary.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management warned people not to walk on the exposed bay floor because the water would eventually rush back in, posing life-threatening risks.
Due to how dark it was Wednesday night, it was not known how much the water receded.
Milton made landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, Florida, at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Meteorologists feared that if Milton had hit Pinellas County directly, it would bring a life-threatening storm surge of up to 12 feet to the area. However, storm surge warnings remained in effect for several parts of Florida Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.