WALL OF WATER
Dramatic moment rare mini tsunami sweeps away boats, chairs and parasols on a beach in HOLLAND
Freak weather phenomenon hit the Dutch coast and was followed by huge thunderstorm
THIS dramatic footage shows a rare MINI TSUNAMI hitting Holland washing away beach chairs, boats and parasols.
The freak weather phenomenon, called a "meteotsunami", occurred near Amsterdam off the country's north coast on Monday morning.
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Meteosunamis are caused by rapid changes in atmospheric pressure that displace bodies of water and often signal an upcoming thunder storm.
Video shot from the balcony of a flat in the coastal resort of Zandvoort shows the huge wave sweeping away objects on the beach and flooding the area.
The man filming is heard saying "tsunami!" multiple times in disbelief.
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Milo Gerritsen, an assistant at the beach pavilion, told Dutch TV station that the powerful storm woke him up at around 5.45am.
He said: ";I was awakened by a very strong wind and saw that there were a few beach beds with the feet in the water.
"Within five minutes, the wind fully rotated and had driven all the seats loosely in the sea."
Gerritsen, who tried to save objects from the water, said he "thought of the tsunami in Thailand".
He added: "The water had so much force that I fell, I am very shocked."
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In another video filmed from a sailing club in the seaside resort of Katwijk the sea is clearly seen retreating first, after which a big wave crashes ashore with lightning flashing in the background.
No-one was thought to have been injured at the two resorts, according to local media.
A big thunderstorm was approaching from the sea and an inversion was recorded on the Monday morning.
Pictures posted on Twitter show a large ominous cloud over the sea.
Whats is a meteotsunami?
Jacco Kromkamp, of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), explained that a meteotsunami is generated when rapid changes in atmospheric pressure cause the displacement of a body of water.
It often emerges as the forerunner of a thunderstorm and a cold weather front. Meteorologists speak of an inversion when the air on the ground is cooler than in the upper air layers, which then changes the air pressure causing the meteotsunami together with strong gusts.
Meteotsunamis have also been recorded in the United Kingdom. The first ever officially identified British meteotsunami hit the Cornish coastline in June 2011.
British researchers first became aware of the meteotsunami after people walking across St Michael's Mount causeway suddenly found themselves standing in water.
Professor David Tappin of the British Geological Survey said: "Most tsunamis are geological, where you have a vertical movement on the seabed which can be caused by an earthquake, like in Japan in 2011, or a landslide.
"Meteotsunamis, however, are created by weather. You need a small, rapid change in atmospheric pressure of just a few millibars, if you get one of these then it can change the sea surface elevation by a few centimetres.
"In the deep ocean this would not be noticeable but when it enters shallow water whilst the weather system is moving at the same speed then the sea level increases by several metres."
Ben Kankamp, of Weather Plaza, told NOS that the incident was most likely caused by "strong high pressure over the sea".
He explained that it pushes water downwards which results in a larger wave in shallow water.
The last recorded meteotsunamis in the Netherlands occurred in 2004 and 2006.
They are thought to be more frequent in the spring when the North Sea water is still cold.
A British inventor is selling “tsunami survival pods” designed to help people live through natural disasters.
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