An Instagram reel going viral is showing what happens when the tide heads in the opposite direction. The video shows a blowout tide happening at Tampa Bay. Online users can see the entire bay is bare and dry. All of the water has vanished. 

A phenomenon that has happened in Tampa before, blowout tide is a common occurrence before a hurricane. As Hurricane Ian makes its way onto Florida’s western shore, travelers and locals are bracing themself for impact.

What Is A Blowout Tide?

 

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Blowout tide happens when landfalls located south of bodies of water force hurricane winds to pull the sea away from the shore. Currently happening in Tampa Bay, water has completely receded from land leaving a barren, dry, and desolate space where the beach used to be. 

Also known as a reverse storm surge, the blowout tide is to be expected when a major hurricane is expected to land in that area. Residents are being warned not to walk on the dry, exposed shore because the tide could return at any moment. However, Tampa Bay and many other inlets and bays remain depleted of water until Hurricane Ian arrives.

This Isn’t The First Time

This isn’t the first time Floridians in Tampa Bay have experienced blowout tide. The Tampa area experienced a negative storm surge in 2017 right before Hurricane Irma landed. 

A blowout tide also occurred recently in Turks & Caicos before Hurricane Fiona hit the archipelago.