BUFFALO, N.Y. — When strong winds blow over Lake Erie, it’s a pretty good bet that we’re in for some interesting weather. But the water itself can get pretty wild if the wind is persistent enough from the right direction.
Under just the right conditions, something called a seiche may form and cause some major issues along the shorelines.
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The word “seiche” loosely translates from a Swiss-French or German word meaning “sinking of water.” It’s used to describe a sort of sloshing effect that’s created by a strong, steady wind blowing along the length of a body of water.
This force of the wind creates a force on the water’s surface, pushing it in the direction of the wind. This causes a rapid rise in the water at one end of the lake or bay and a rapid drop to compensate on the other end.
Winds have produced several notable seiches on Lake Erie in recent years. In all cases, the wind has blown from the southwest, pushing water from the western end of the lake near Cleveland toward the eastern end of the lake near Buffalo. One in February 2018 caused the water level near Buffalo to rise over four feet within six hours.
More severe seiche events have forced water levels six to eight feet above normal, causing serious damage.
But of course, the tilted water levels can only stay as such if the wind is exerting a force on the surface of the water. Once the wind backs off, the water “sloshes” back in the other direction. As a result, where there once was a big water rise, now there’s a big water level drop and vice versa. This teeter-tottering continues until the water finally settles back to level.
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