Before and after video shows water levels in Tampa Bay
TAMPA, Fla. (WCMH) – Video recorded before and after Irma passed through shows the effect the storm had on Tampa Bay.
Matt Tilman posted the side-by-side footage to Facebook Monday. The clip on the left shows the bay without any water before Irma hit Sunday. The clip on the right shows the water back again after the storm passed.
The strength of the hurricane actually pushed the water away from the shorelines in the Bahamas and the Gulf Coast of Florida, CNN reported.READ MORE: Hurricane Irma sucks water away from shorelines
National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Rogers told USA Today the effect can be explained as a reverse storm surge.
“All of that force from the wind is pushing the water out of the bay and into the Gulf,” said Rogers. “It has everything to do with the actual placement of the storm.”
The National Weather Service warned the water could come back as fast as it left, making it unsafe to actually go into the bay.