![High waves caused damage in Madison Township Park [Tim Brown / Madison Township]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a570d0a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x960+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F4%2F30%2Fmeteotsunami.jpg)
Volunteer crews continue cleaning up the beach at Madison Township Park after a weather event called a meteotsunami hit the shoreline two weeks ago.
Three waves about 12 feet high pounded the beach at 7 p.m. on April 14, leaving behind tons of debris and driftwood, according to the Cleveland National Weather Service.
We had another meteotsunami strike the Lake Erie shoreline this past Sunday. A witness saw 3 waves approximately 12 feet high in Madison. Geneva marina had water levels rise 4 feet. Beach was spotless before the event. Concrete blocks weigh 2 tons and moved 10 feet. @NWSCLE pic.twitter.com/vHVuuDsS7Y
— Kirk Lombardy (@weather992) April 18, 2019
Madison Township Trustee Kenneth Gauntner said the waves were strong enough to pick up and move two-ton concrete blocks. The damage could have been far worse, he said.
"The National Weather Service tells us it’s a good thing this one came in about a 45-degree angle because had it come straight on, it would have caused damage to homes right along the lake and potential fatalities as well," Gauntner said.
Meteotsunamis differ from tsunamis in that they’re usually caused by quick differences in atmospheric pressure, like during thunderstorms.
This one occurred on the same day a tornado tore through the town of Shelby, about 90 miles southwest of Cleveland.
