Windmageddon To Produce Swellmageddon Across The Caribbean

Dale C. S. Destin |

A gigantic low-pressure system, nicknamed windmageddon due to widespread damage and power outages it caused across the Northeast United States, is about to cause swellmageddon. Swellmageddon because the low-pressure area will cause enormous, dangerous and destructive sea swells that will wreak havoc on the shorelines of Antigua and much of the Caribbean.

Large Breaking Swells (High Surfs)

Large and dangerous battering swells, peaking in excess of 4 m (13 ft), are expected to pommel our shoreline starting Sunday and continuing until Friday. This is expected to be the worse swell event thus far for the winter season.

Such high swells will produce even higher surfs that will result in beach closures as swimming conditions will become extremely dangerous for beachgoers.

Swellmageddon will likely cause major beach erosion; flooding of low lying coastal roads; disruptions to marine recreation and businesses; financial losses and damage to coral reefs.

This major swell event may also cause disruptions to potable water from desalination as turbulent seas could increase the turbidity of the water above safe levels for the desalting plants.

A high surf warning is expected to be issued by the Met Office for Antigua and the rest of the northeast Caribbean. Other Offices are expected to issue warnings for as far west as the Bahamas and extending south to the Windward islands. Swells could exceed 5 m (17 ft) across the Bahamas.

The impact on shorelines will not be the same everywhere. Depending on the depth and the natural shelter of the coastal waters the impact will be different. Shallow north-facing shorelines are expected to see the highest swells and surfs.

In open waters, the swells from swellmageddon will be virtually harmless to small craft operators as they will be long-period waves with gentle gradients.

Windmageddon will not cause any destructive winds across us, far from, but it will cause them to come from some very unusual directions for this part of the world. They are going to becoming from the south, west and north at times over the next several days before return the usual direction of east next weekend.

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