THIS is the shocking moment panicked tourists are left scrambling as a huge “meteo-tsunami” rocked up in the holiday hotspot of Menorca.
Sunbeds, slides and parasols were all seen being washed away by the surging water as holidaygoers watched on from dry land clutching to their soaked belongings.
x.com/@volcaholic1The moment the water crashes onto the beach washing away sunbeds[/caption]
x.com/@volcaholic1Panicked tourists were left scrambling as the meteo-tsunami washed up to the holiday hospot in Menorca[/caption]
x.com/@volcaholic1The water quickly caused chaos on the beach dragging in slides, parasols and the sun loungers[/caption]
The freak weather surged onto the port of Ciutadella in Menorca on Wednesday submerging rows of sun loungers under the water.
At least five large meteo-tsunamis with oscillations over three feet were witnessed, say Spain’s national weather agency Aemet.
Footage shows tourists running across the beach trying to find higher land as the waves start to crash into the shore.
The water quickly pushes up the sand dragging in giant inflatable slides and pieces of wood into the sea.
Warnings were put in place overnight with Aemet saying the pulses would continue up until 8am on Thursday.
It comes less than 24-hours after another meteo-tsunami crashed into the shores of Majorca.
The sea level rose sharply and flooded parts of Puerto Alcudia, on the northeast coast of the popular holiday island.
Ocean waters can be seen swallowing up shore roads as tourists wadded around it to avoid getting drenched.
What is a meteo-tsunami?
METEO-TSUNAMIS are a freak weather phenomenon that causes large, tsunami-like waves.
They are triggered by disturbances in air pressure caused by fast-moving weather events, like thunderstorms, and are generated when rapid changes in barometric pressure cause the displacement of a body of water.
Most tsunamis are geological, meaning they are triggered by vertical movement on the seabed, which can be caused by an earthquake or landslide.
The difference with a meteo-tsunami is that they are created by the weather.
A small, rapid change in atmospheric pressure – even by a few millibars – can change the sea surface elevation by a few centimetres.
This elevation can go unnoticed in deep water, but in shallower water near shorelines, it can cause the sea level to rise significantly, often by several feet.
They can reach heights of six feet and more, and have been observed in many places around the world, including Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Coast and the Mediterranean.
But back in 2018, a meteo-tsunami devastated several holiday resorts, with waves crashing into bars and terraces by the coast in the island’s Port Andratx.
A German dad-of-two died after being swept to sea in Majorca – just hours after the tsunami laid waste to the holiday island’s beaches.
A massive wave – measuring nearly five feet – smashed into Menorca’s port city of Ciutadella.
Yacht owners were filmed desperately trying to stop their boats being washed away.
The strong current broke the ropes of a historic sailing boat used by the Majorca Island Council – which had to be rescued by sailors and brought back to port as it drifted out to sea.
One shocking clip showed desperate boat owners battling to keep their yachts from being washed away as the wave pounded a jetty in Port Andratx, Majorca.
Most recently, Majorca was battered by torrential rain, causing travel chaos as hundreds of holidaymakers were left stranded.
Runways of the Palma de Mallorca airport were seen submerged underwater as planes were cancelled or diverted due to “zero visibility.”
Airport bosses halted all operations after the severe flooding turned the airport’s runway into a river.
Pictures showed planes grounded on the swamped tarmac while the airport workers were seen wading through knee-high floods.
Frustrated travellers were pictured sheltering from the rains inside the airport which welcomes around 30million passengers each year.
In Murcia, cars became stranded in the sodden streets while garbage bins floated down the road as storms continued into the next day.
Floods have also hit other holiday hotspots in Costa Blanca, including Benidorm, Valencia and Alicante.
x.com/@volcaholic1The mini tsunamis ended up driving the tourists off the beach[/caption]
Solar PixSwollen ocean spilled onto the streets of a resort town in Majorca just 24 hours earlier[/caption]
Solar PixThe flooding caused by meteo-tsunami was seen swallowing up the roads[/caption]
The islands were also hit by a 5ft wave in a meteo-tsunami in 2018