Water empties from bay in Tampa, but folks warned to stay out

TAMPA, Fla. – Hurricane Irma has pushed water out of a bay in Tampa, but forecasters are telling people not to venture out there, because it’s going to return with a potentially deadly vengeance.

On Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, about 100 people were walking Sunday afternoon on what was Old Tampa Bay – a body of water near downtown. Hurricane Irma’s winds and low tide have pushed the water unusually far from its normal position.

People walk on Sunday where normally there is four feet of water in Old Tampa Bay. Hurricane Irma and an unusual low tide pushed water out but it was expected to surge back when the storm gets closer. Associated Press/Chris O'Meara

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Some people were venturing as far as 200 yards out to get to the water’s new edge. The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet deep and reaches a seawall.

The U.S. Hurricane Center has sent out an urgent alert warning of a “life-threatening storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level” and telling people to “MOVE AWAY FROM THE WATER!”

The waters retracted because the leading wind bands of Irma whipped the coastal water more out to sea. But once the eye passes and the wind reverses, the water will rush back in.

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