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A meteotsunami or meteorological tsunami Tsunami Glossary 2008 , UNESCO is a tsunami-like sea wave of meteorological origin. Meteotsunamis are generated when rapid changes in barometric pressure cause the displacement of a body of water. In contrast to impulse-type tsunami sources, a traveling atmospheric disturbance normally interacts with the ocean over a limited period of time (from several minutes to several hours). Tsunamis and meteotsunamis are otherwise similar enough that it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other, as in cases where there is a tsunami wave but there are no records of an earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. Meteotsunamis, rather, are triggered due to extreme weather events including severe thunderstorms, squalls and storm fronts; all of which can quickly change atmospheric pressure. Meteotsunamis typically occur when severe weather is moving at the same speed and direction of the local wave action towards the coastline. The size of the wave is enhanced by coastal features such as shallow continental shelves, bays and inlets.
Only about 3% of historical tsunami events (from 2000 BC through 2014) are known to have meteorological origins, although their true prevalence may be considerably higher than this because 10% of historical tsunamis have unknown origins, tsunami events in the past are often difficult to validate, and meteotsunamis may have previously been misclassified as seiche waves. Seiches are classified as a long-standing wave with longer periods and slower changes in water levels. They are also restricted to enclosed or partially enclosed basins.
| Vela Luka (21 June 1978) | Croatia | 0 | |
| Nagasaki Bay (31 March 1979) | Japan | 3 | |
| Pohang Harbour | Korea | ||
| Kent and Sussex coasts (20 July 1929) | UK | 2 | |
| Longkou Harbour (1 September 1980) | China | ||
| Ciutadella Harbour (15 June 2006) | Spain | ||
| Gulf of Trieste | Italy | ||
| West Sicily | Italy | ||
| Malta | Malta | ||
| Chicago (26 June 1954) | USA | 8 | |
| Daytona Beach, FL (3–4 July 1992) | USA | 0 | |
| Ciutadella Harbour & Alcudia | Spain | 0 | |
| Barnegat Inlet (13 June 2013) | USA | 0 | |
| Tolchester Beach (6 July 2020) | USA | ||
| Hanko (7 August 2023) | Finland | ||
| Lake Michigan Beach (2 April 2021) | USA | 0 |
In June, 2025, a suspected meteotsunami occurred in Lake Superior and was videoed on the eastern side of Thunder Bay in Ontario. Canadian scientists are analyzing the data, which included water levels on the lake moving up to a meter, to determine if it was a meteotsunami, a seiche, or some other phenomenon.
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