As swell waves caused damage across Male' yesterday, the risk of further sea swells is expected to increase over the next two days.
The risk of tidal swells is forecast to increase on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the full moon on Tuesday and the Moon's closer-than-usual approach to Earth, which is expected to produce higher-than-normal tides.
Because of these reasons and because Maldives is currently experiencing the Southwest Monsoon (Hulhangu) which brings strong winds, the likelihood of some islands experiencing swells may be high. The Maldives Meteorological (MET) Office has not made any comments regarding the matter.
However, the MET Office did release an alert after the damage caused by the swells yesterday stating islands from Kaafu Atoll to Addu are estimated to experience swells from 10:00 pm to 2:30 am.
When looking at the tidal levels for the Male' region, the tides will most likely be much higher on Wednesday afternoon compared to yesterday and today.
- 26th July: Highest tide at 12:02 pm (0.95 meters)
- 27th July: Highest tide at 12:53 pm (0.81 meters)
- 28th July and 29th July (full moon): Tide will be highest at 1:40 pm (0.98 meters)
Some models show that winds from the west will reach speeds of 30 miles per hour and waves will reach heights between 2 feet and 5 feet. With the strong waves and high tides occurring at the same time, the possibility of tidal swells is highest between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm on Wednesday.
As this month's full moon will be 364,915 kilometers from the Earth, the moon's gravitational pull will be stronger, resulting in higher sea levels than usual. Additionally, on the day the full moon occurs, the sun, Earth and moon will be in a straight line which is called the "Spring Tide", resulting in higher swells.
